The Impossible Life of a SkyClan Warrior
by KatieK101
Summary: Rabbitleap, the leader whose orders always go disobeyed. Creekfeather, the charming troublemaker. Plumwillow, the love-struck strategist. And Nettlesplash, the smart-mouth who just wants to nap. They're finally warriors and ready follow their ambitions, but they overlooked one, minor obstacle: life.
1. Leafstar the Life-Ruiner

**Disclaimer: I, KatieK101, do not own Warriors. If I did then SkyClan would've had their own freakin' arc, like, two years ago. Furthermore, this fic should not be considered canon past the events of 'SkyClan and the Stranger'.**

 **Special thanks to InkblotLeaf for creating this beautiful cover art! You're a gem!**

* * *

 **Chapter One - Leafstar the Life-Ruiner**

* * *

Rabbitleap shuffled his paws as he waited for his littermates to show up. _Why am I always the first one here?_ He wondered to himself. _Every single night I tell them to be here right before the sun rises. I can already see the sun poking above the mountains, and they're still not here!_

In all honesty, Rabbitleap wasn't surprised. He was only inwardly complaining because he rambled about his littermates' tardiness every day, and if he skipped a day, he would break routine. And _he_ was a cat of routine!

It was the reason he insisted on having morning meetings with his littermates every day since they'd become warriors, which was exactly two moons ago.

 _Has it really been two whole moons since we were apprentices? Training with our mentors, sleeping in the Apprentice Den, being bossed around by the warriors…_ It certainly didn't feel like two moons had passed. Those memories felt like they were a lifetime old.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud screech. Rabbitleap rolled his amber eyes, took two steps backward, and promptly avoided being crushed; a heartbeat later and Creekfeather fell from the sky. He seemed confused by the hard rock beneath his paws, a look of puzzlement on his features. _Three, two, one…_ "One of these days I'll get you," Creekfeather vowed solemnly, spinning around.

"Sure," Rabbitleap agreed. "Once you learn to caterwaul _after_ you've landed on me."

"Or just, you know, _not at all_ ," Nettlesplash meowed sarcastically, as he landed beside Creekfeather. He wore his typical expression: features slightly tense with irritation and amber eyes agleam with aggravation. One might have been inclined to back off and give the pale brown warrior his space, but his littermates knew better: the only times Nettlesplash _didn't_ seem frustrated was when he was asleep.

Creekfeather flicked his tail dismissively. "Not a possibility. The battle-cry is the best part!"

"It's a caterwaul, not a battle-cry," Rabbitleap corrected him.

Creekfeather raised a brow. "What's the difference?"

"It's only considered a battle-cry if you're rushing into some sort of confrontation, because- you know what, forget it. You don't actually care and that's not the topic of discussion today anyway."

"So then what _is_ the topic of the day?" A new voice inquired. Rabbitleap glanced upwards, where Plumwillow was perched upon a tree branch.

He frowned, unimpressed. "We could start with the fact that you're all late, _again_."

Nettlesplash yawned. "You said to be here before sunrise. It's not sun-rise yet."

"Yes, _it is_."

Creekfeather scoffed. "Well, who gave _you_ the authority to decide when sun-rise is? For all you know, I could consider this time moon-high!"

The littermates turned to fix the gray tom with matching looks of bewilderment, and his indignant expression was suddenly replaced with one of defense. "I mean, I don't, but- _ugh_ , look, the point is we aren't late. You're just early!"

"Yeah, _really_ early," Nettlesplash yawned. "It's not even sun-high yet."

"You were supposed to be here _before_ sun-high!"

Plumwillow leaped from her perch and then flicked her (uptight) brother with her tail. "We can't all be as perfect as you, Rabbitleap," she meowed simply.

"No, but you could certainly try a little harder."

"Can we hurry this along?" Nettlesplash's dry mew interrupted them. "I would really like to get back to my nest and cease all social interactions for the remainder of my day."

"You, my dear brother," Creekfeather started, "live a sad, boring life."

"You're going to die alone," Plumwillow added.

"Alone, bored, and _ugly_ ," Creekfeather finished. His features actually twisted into a grimace, as if being ugly was one of the worst things he could imagine.

 _But then again, it's Creekfeather. Being ugly probably is the worst thing he could imagine,_ Rabbitleap reasoned.

"Okay guys," he spoke up. "We really do need to hurry today's meeting along. Not so that Nettlesplash can get back to being anti-social," he continued, as he shot a pointed look towards his pale brown brother, "but so that we can make it back to camp in time for the ceremonies."

Creekfeather frowned. "What ceremonies?" he asked.

"Stormkit and Firekit's apprentice ceremonies, you bird-brain!" Rabbitleap exclaimed, though there was no real venom behind the insult; just disappointment. "Weren't you paying attention at the Gathering last night? Leafstar announced it!"

Creekfeather huffed. " _My bad_. Maybe I was in the middle of an important conversation when she made that announcement!"

"Which means you were goofing off with Swiftleap," Plumwillow translated.

"Well... _yeah_."

"Hold on," Nettlesplash started, as a frown played across his lips. "You mean that's _today_?"

Although confused by Nettlesplash's inquiry, Rabbitleap nodded. Nettlesplash sighed, loud and dramatic. " _Great._ Now everyone is going to be in and out of the den all day, which means cats are going to step on my tail _even more_ than they already do."

Plumwillow shot the placid tom a side glance. "You know, Nettlesplash," she remarked, "You could avoid having your tail trod on if you spent less time in your nest."

"Not happening," Nettlesplash responded immediately. "My nest is my happy place."

"Guys, we're running out of time," Rabbitleap said, then cast a quick glance towards the sun. "They're going to start the ceremony soon, and we haven't even talked about what we're all going to do today!"

But, as per usual, none of his littermates paid him attention.

"You know what you need, Nettlesplash?" Plumwillow asked, though it sounded more like a statement than anything else. "A _mate!_ "

Nettlesplash groaned. "Not this again!"

"Guys-"

"I'm with Plumwillow on this one," Creekfeather agreed. "I mean, usually I say that it's best to live without a mate so that you're not held down, but... yeah, you're the exception."

"Creekfeather, Plumwillow, this isn't the time-"

"You need a she-cat to bring some excitement and joy to your otherwise pathetic life," Creekfeather went on. "Someone who's bright, energetic-"

"A bit of a daredevil," Plumwillow added with a smirk.

Nettlesplash narrowed his amber eyes. "Don't you dare say her name, or StarClan _so help me-"_

" _Guys_ -"

"Birdflight!" Creekfeather and Plumwillow chorused gleefully.

" _That's it_ , this meeting is through," Nettlesplash growled, as he spun around and stalked back towards the camp.

"Nettlesplash, come back!" Rabbitleap called, his voice dangerously close to a whine. _We never conclude these meetings on my accord! Never!_

Suddenly Creekfeather's eyes widened. "Fox-dung, I forgot, I'm supposed to meet up with Swiftleap before the ceremony!"

The dark brown tom spun around. "What?" he demanded, incredulous. "How did you make plans if you didn't even know the ceremony was today?"

But the tom was already chasing after Nettlesplash had climbed. "See you later!" he called before his tail-tip disappeared over the ledge.

Rabbitleap huffed. "Why does no one ever listen to me, Plumwillow?"

Silence.

"Plumwillow?" he glanced around and blinked; the dark gray she-cat had disappeared!

"Ughh," he groaned, before standing reluctantly to his paws and following more slowly after his littermates. "One of these days, they're going to regret never listening to me!"

Of course, that was probably wishful thinking. Rabbitleap's littermates had always disregarded his advice ever since they were kits, and even though this usually resulted in their pain or humiliation, they never seemed to it. _If I can't make my own siblings listen to me, then how am I supposed to run a Clan?_

Because _that_ was the dream. To one day become the new leader of SkyClan.

Rabbitleap didn't think it was an impossible dream. In his humble opinion, he had all of the necessary skills; he was patient, firm, intelligent, courageous. At least, that's what Fallowfern used to tell him when he was a kit…

 _They only disobey me because I'm not in a position of authority, that's all._ But once he became deputy his Clanmates would have no choice but to carry out his orders! _And I'll be a good deputy too_ ; he would be understanding, thoughtful, and much less intimidating than Sharpclaw. The current SkyClan deputy happened to be his former mentor, and he liked to think that gave him an advantage over the competition.

The competition, also known as _Mintfur_.

Mintfur was his kithood rival. They'd never gotten along and nearly shredded each other on several occasions. She was a few moons older than him so she thought that made her more qualified to lead SkyClan, but really. What were a few moons compared to StarClan given abilities?

 _However_ , there was only so much that the two warriors could really do to impress Leafstar and Sharpclaw. They performed their duties flawlessly; volunteered for more patrols than anyone else; and had excellent work habits, but that would only take a cat so far. _What I need to really catch their attention is to train my own apprentice._

Rabbitleap had spent the past moon praying to StarClan that Leafstar would give him one of her daughters, Stormkit or Firekit, to train. However, his hopes had been dashed last night, after he overheard her speaking with Sparrowpelt and Waspwhisker about mentoring them.

 _It's not like she would have let you mentor one of them anyway,_ the nagging voice in his head said. _She's been so protective over them ever since Harrykit…_

Harrykit, the only son of Leafstar and Billystorm, had been playing on a cliff ledge with his sisters when he lost his footing and plummeted down into the gorge. Rabbitleap never saw the body himself, but Plumwillow told him that the image was burned into her head forever. Leafstar spent an entire moon in her den afterward.

 _Oh well. I've only been a warrior for two moons, so it's not like I'm qualified to mentor the Clan leader's kits anyway. Maybe I'll get to mentor one of Cherrytail's kits,_ he thought, trying to remain optimistic. _They're due to be apprenticed in a couple of moons. If I work my tail off until then I'm sure Leafstar will-_

A yowl interrupted his thoughts, and his eyes widened when he recognized it as Leafstar's call. "The ceremony!" he gasped, then sped off in the direction of the camp.

* * *

Rabbitleap reached the gathering area just a few moments before the ceremony started. Trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible, he slunk past his Clanmates and muttered hushed apologies accidentally stepped on their tails.

Finally he settled down between Plumwillow and Sparrowpelt, the latter who looked amused by the late entrance. Rabbitleap fixed him with a hard look, daring his friend to mock him for his tardiness, before leaning close to Plumwillow.

"Where's Nettlesplash?" he whispered.

Plumwillow had been whispering excitedly to Honeyflower, but paused just long enough to reply, "He's in his nest already."

Rabbitleap furrowed his brow. "Already? He isn't going to attend the ceremony?"

"Doesn't look like it," came her whispered response. "Oh, hey, Creekfeather disappeared with Swiftleap after we got here. Should we worry about that?"

He exhaled, annoyed. "Should we? Probably. But are we going to? No. I'm so tired of Creekfeather rushing off and getting himself into trouble - this time, he can just suffer the consequences and deal with Sharpclaw."

Plumwillow visibly cringed. "Great StarClan, we're practically sentencing him to his death!"

Rabbitleap shrugged in response. S _o Creekfeather isn't attending the ceremony either. That means both of my brothers are choosing to ignore one of the most important ceremonies a leader can host, and it's for Leafstar's own kits, for StarClan's sake! Where's their respect? Where's the patriotism?_ Where did Fallowfern and Waspwhisker _go wrong_ with those two?

"Cats of SkyClan," Leafstar started, jerking him from his frustrated rambling. "Today is an important day of all of us. Today, I make two promising kits into apprentices."

Leafstar's expression was one of pride and joy. She perched herself proudly upon the Skyrock, and her eyes were alight with passion. Her mate, Billystorm, sat a few tail-lengths away from the Skyrock, and his expression mirrored hers.

Leafstar cleared her throat. "Stormkit, Firekit, please step forward."

Rabbitleap peered over his Clanmates' heads to catch a glimpse of the kits, and when he did he couldn't help but purr in amusement. Both kits were quivering with contained excitement.

Firekit's dark ginger pelt was groomed to perfection whilst Stormkit's gray-and-ginger pelt was a bit ruffled in some areas, although she moved confidently. For a moment, Leafstar simply gazed fondly upon her kits. Then she started reciting the traditional words (the ones Rabbitleap memorized when he was still a kit, just saying): "Stormkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Stormpaw. Your mentor will be..."

The cream-and-brown she-cat paused, and Rabbitleap found himself withering in curiosity, and maybe a bit of hopefulness that she would suddenly call his name.

"Sparrowpelt. I hope that Sparrowpelt will pass down all he knows on to you."

Rabbitleap masked his disappointment well enough, shooting Sparrowpelt a warm smile as his friend strolled forward to touch noses with his new apprentice. _You knew it wasn't going to happen,_ the small voice his head spoke. _They're Leafstar's daughters. After what happened to Harrykit, there's no way she would trust one of their lives' with such a young warrior. Still,_ he couldn't help but muse, _it would have been incredible if she had._

Leafstar began the Fireit's ceremony, "Firekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Firepaw. Your mentor will be... Mintfur."

 _WHAT?!_

 _Wait a moment, there's no way I heard her right. There's no way in StarClan that Leafstar just said-_

"I hope that Mintfur will pass down all that she knows on to you."

 _No, no no no no no-!_

But to Rabbitleap's absolute horror, Mintfur rose to her paws and stepped forward to touch noses with Firepaw; _her new apprentice_. Firepaw seemed delighted with her mother's choice of mentor.

"Mintfur," Leafstar continued, _as if she didn't just ruined my entire life's plan!_ , "you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Waspwhisker, and you have shown yourself to be honest and fierce. You will be the mentor of Firepaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her."

That was it. The ceremony was over.

"Stormpaw, Firepaw! Stormpaw, Firepaw!" The Clan took up the traditional chant; the new apprentices beamed gleefully from beside their new mentors.

The ceremony was over, and so was Rabbitleap's life.

Plumwillow regarded her brother with sympathy. "You would have made an excellent mentor," she meowed softly, and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rabbitleap. I know how badly you wanted this."

He shook his head slightly, stuck in a state of shock. "It's not even that Leafstar didn't choose me; it's that she chose _Mintfur_. My constant rival, the cat I'm always competing with. What if… what if she thinks Mintfur will be a better Clan leader than me?"

"It'll be ages before Sharpclaw retires," Plumwillow reasoned. "I doubt Leafstar's already thinking that far."

He breathed a deep sigh. "I hope you're right…"

"I'm always right," the she-cat replied, confident.

But as Rabbitleap watched Mintfur speak with her new apprentice, her green eyes bright with pride, he couldn't bring himself to respond.

* * *

Nettlesplash didn't consider himself anti-social; he was just someone who kept selective company.

Of course, the only cats he willingly hung around were his littermates, and one of them was Creekfeather, so perhaps his company could stand to be _a bit more_ selective.

It wasn't that he was too shy to make friends, or that he feared rejection (which was Plumwillow's theory); he just disliked the majority of his Clanmates. And maybe that sounded harsh, but he had good reason to dislike them!

Plumwillow was sporting a massive crush on Rockshade, so he was automatically evil.

Mintfur suffered from a superiority complex.

Honeyflower was a ditz.

Shrewtooth couldn't sit still longer than a couple of heart-beats (five, to be exact), and never stopped twitching.

Tinycloud stepped on his tail more than any other cat in SkyClan.

Sharpclaw could intimidate the fur off of a fox.

Bouncefire was too loud.

Sagefoot was too laid-back.

Swiftleap was Creekfeather's best friend so, again, he was automatically evil.

Cherrytail... _no_. Just no.

He could go on, but that would take forever.

The point is that it wasn't his fault that he don't have many friends; it was _everyone else's'_ fault that they were annoying.

Of course, some cats are more annoying than others. Nettlesplash could be around Sparrowpelt or Echosong and not want to throw himself off a cliff. On the other paw, Bouncefire or Cherrytail could definitely drive him off a cliff.

But there was one cat who was _much worse_ than the rest; a cat who Nettlesplash would _gladly_ shove off a cliff; a cat whose _mere mention_ made him want to claw his eyes out.

 _Birdflight._

Great StarClan, that she-cat drove him _insane_!

She was a black she-cat with a lighter-colored muzzle, bright blue eyes, several scratches, and a notable scar on her shoulder. How did she earn that scar, some might ask?

She got it when she jumped on a fox's back and tried to ride it back to camp. It goes without saying that the fox was not pleased.

Now, what kind of _bird-brain_ would attempt to _ride a fox into the camp_? Not only was the idea incredibly stupid, it was also incredibly dangerous. And yet, Birdflight had hundreds of those stories. She claimed to be a "thrill-seeker" and a "daredevil".

Personally, he thought she was just "insane".

But for some reason, the black she-cat was actually quite popular within the Clan; cats actually _liked_ her. Don't ask Nettlesplash why because he couldn't explain it. Birdflight was a danger to society, and yet, it seemed like he was the only cat with enough sense to recognize it.

 _Maybe I'll talk to Leafstar about banishing her,_ the tom mused lazily, as his eyelids fluttered shut. _Or at the very least have her banned from camp._

Suddenly a chorus of "Stormpaw, Firepaw!" jerked him out of my near-sleep-state. Nettlesplash practically jumped out of his dusty-brown fur, and then glared at the den opening, where the ruckus was emitting from. _Oh, great. The ceremonies are over. Goodbye, peace and quiet._

"I can't believe those two are finally apprentices!"

"Did you see Billystorm?"

"Hah, _yeah_! I thought he was going to break his back, he was puffing his chest out so far!"

"Pfft, forget about Billystorm; did you see Mintfur? She's walking around like she's just been made Clan leader!"

"Well, that's to be expected. Mentoring an apprentice is a huge honor, and it's even greater for someone so young."

 _So Leafstar chose Mintfur to mentor an apprentice. Rabbitleap is probably furious… I guess that's what tomorrow's morning meeting is going to be about._ Ughh.

Warriors started entering and exiting the den, constantly moving. Nettlesplash made sure to glare at every single cat who trotted past him, and hissed at the ones who stepped on his tail.

"Sorry, Nettlesplash!" Tinycloud cried, exasperated. "But to be fair, your tail _is_ sorta in the way…"

"Do you mean to say that you're too lazy to simply step over my tail?" he challenged.

Ebonyclaw overheard the exchange and rolled her eyes as she passed. "Nettlesplash, you're the laziest cat in the entire Clan."

"No one ask you for your opinion!" Nettlesplash snapped.

"She has a point," Tinycloud meowed. "I mean, it's hypocritical of you to-"

"Just watch where you're stepping," he interrupted sharpy. The small white she-cat huffed but finally exited the den without another word. _I'll talk to Plumwillow about how inconsiderate her friend is._

For a few moments, Nettlesplash hoped that he could finally return to his napping. Cats stopped entering and exiting the den, and voices grew softer. Sharpclaw was probably organizing patrols, sending them out of camp and far away from him.

But just as his eyelids grew heavy again, a black blur streaked into the den and tripped over his hunched body. Nettleplash yelped and jumped to his paws, pale brown fur bristling along his spine. When he realized just _who_ had tripped over him, he couldn't keep disgust out of voice as he snarled, "What in StarClan's name d-!"

"Shhh!" Birdflight hissed. Then the insane she-cat had _the audacity_ to slap her tail across his mouth! "Lower your voice!" she whisper-yelled.

The tom spat her tail out of his mouth and made a mental note to have Echosong check him for any diseases he might had just contracted. He didn't _think_ that 'insanity' was contagious, but he certainly wasn't about to take any chances. Then he demanded, "why did you race in here like a nest of hornets were chasing you?!"

Birdflight sneaked a glance over her shoulder. "I had to escape from Sharpclaw," she explained hurriedly. "See, Creekfeather, Swiftleap and I-"

"Forget it," he interrupted her. "If it involved those two then I don't want to know what you were doing."

Birdflight blinked, offended. "We weren't doing anything wrong," she meowed indignantly.

"You're hiding from the deputy, Birdflight. The innocent rarely hide."

"You must not have played hide-and-seek very much when you were a kit," the black she-cat remarked.

"No, I had much more important things to do," Nettlesplash retorted.

Birdflight eyed him suspiciously. "When you were a _kit_? Like what?"

"Like napping," He replied dryly. "Which I was just in the middle of doing when you darted in here and _tripped over_ me."

"Oh, right," Birdflight smiled a bit sheepishly. "Um, sorry about that. I didn't think anyone was still in here."

"I do not accept your apology, nor do I want to continue this conversation," he said bluntly. "Now, find somewhere else to hide."

The she-cat recoiled as if he'd just struck her (an idea that was incredibly tempting). "Hold on, why won't you accept my apology?"

"Because I don't want to. Now leave."

"That's a terrible reason," Birdflight protested, ignoring his orders; _Rude!_ "My apology was completely genuine, you have to accept it!"

"I don't, and I won't," the brown warrior retorted. "Now, for the last time, _leave_!"

But this very rude, very incompetent, very-sorry-excuse-for-a-warrior refused to comply with his very reasonable request. Instead she planted her paws stubbornly and glared him in the eye. "If you don't have to accept my apology then I don't have to leave this den," she stated.

A lesser warrior would have tackled her right there and then, but _Nettlspash_ was a cat of _maturity_.

"If you don't leave right now, then I'm fetching Sharpclaw," he threatened.

Birdflight had _the nerve_ to smirk! "No you won't," she meowed confidently. "You're too lazy to leave your nest."

Now, see, the problem was that she was absolutely, completely, utterly correct. Nettlesplash would not fetch Sharpclaw because he didn't want to leave his nest; even now he hadn't moved from his "happy place". But he had to do _something_ to get that bird-brain away out of the den!

"Fine then," the tom conceded. "Leave right now or else I'll get _Rabbitleap_ , and _he'll_ tattle on you. Everyone knows Rabbitleap wouldn't dare break a rule, so when he finds out you're hiding from Sharpclaw he'll feel he has no choice but to tattle."

Uncertainty flashed brightly in her eyes. "Rabbitleap is moping in the middle of camp. You wouldn't leave your nest to go get him."

"No, I wouldn't," Nettlesplash admitted. "But thankfully, I won't have to leave my nest."

The SkyClan she-cat narrowed her eyes. "What do you-"

" _RABBITLEAP_!" the tom suddenly shouted. " _COME HERE_!"

Birdflight's eyes widened and she darted forward to slap her tail over his mouth ( _again!_ ).

"Quit that!" She hissed. "What do you think you're doing?!"

For the second time that day, Nettlesplash spat her _filthy_ out of his mouth. "Me?!" He echoed incredulously. "What do _you_ think _you're_ doing?! I don't know where your tail's been, and I certainly don't want it in my mouth!"

"What's going on in here?" A rough voice suddenly demanded. Nettlesplash spun around and came face-to-face with none other than SkyClan's adored deputy, Sharpclaw. When his gaze fell on Birdflight he narrowed his eyes. " _You_!" he growled.

Birdflight mustered a smile and meowed cheerfully, "Hi there, Sharpclaw! I saw your kits today and they're _so_ adorable-"

"Save it," Sharpclaw snapped, efficiently silencing the she-cat. "Come on, Leafstar is waiting on us. I'm not pleased with your latest "joke", and neither is she." The blue-eyed she-cat flattened her ears against her head and, with great reluctance, stepped towards the deputy.

Nettlesplash watched her with unmasked disgust. "Good riddance," he meowed coldly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to visit the medicine cats."

Birdflight stopped and glanced backwards, genuine concern pooling in her eyes. "The medicine cats?" she echoed. "I didn't _really_ hurt you when I tripped over you, did I?"

"No, you didn't," the tom replied, as he padded past her. "I'm going to make sure that I didn't contract any of your diseases when you shoved your tail in my mouth."

Sharpclaw snorted, and Nettlesplash thought the look of annoyance that Birdflight shot him was enough to make this whole experience worthwhile.

Almost.

* * *

 **Allegiances**

SkyClan

 **Leader** : Leafstar - brown-and-cream tabby she-cat with amber eyes

 **Deputy:** Sharpclaw - dark ginger tom

 **Medicine Cat:** Echosong - silver tabby she-cat with green eyes (Apprentice: Frecklewish)

 **Warriors:** Patchfoot - black-and-white tom

Billystorm - ginger-and-white tom

Petalnose - pale gray she-cat

Waspwhisker - gray-and-white tom

Fallowfern - pale brown she-cat with green eyes

Ebonyclaw - striking black she-cat

Sparrowpelt - dark brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Stormpaw)

Shrewtooth - skinny black tom

Rockshade - black tom (Apprentice: Shadowpaw)

Bouncefire - ginger tom with amber eyes

Tinycloud - small white she-cat

Swiftleap - creamy-colored tom with pale blue eyes

Sagefoot - pale gray tom with with green eyes

Mintfur - thick-furred, gray tabby she-cat with dark green eyes (Apprentice: Firepaw)

Rabbitleap - dark brown tom with amber eyes

Plumwillow - dark gray she-cat with green eyes

Creekfeather - handsome gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Nettlesplash - pale brown tom with amber eyes

Honeyflower- light gray she-cat with pale blue eyes

Birdflight - black she-cat with a gray muzzle with bright blue eyes

Sandytail - light-colored tom with a darker tail-tip, legs, and ears

 **Apprentices:** _Frecklewish - mottled light brown tabby she-cat with spotted legs_

Shadowpaw - black tom with amber eyes

Stormpaw - gray and ginger she-cat and blue eyes

Firepaw - long-legged ginger she-cat and green eyes

 **Queens:** Clovertail - light brown she-cat with white belly and legs and green eyes

Cherrytail - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat; Mother to Sharpclaw's kits: Sunkit - tortoiseshell-and-ginger tom; Driftkit - brown tabby tom; Mistykit - pale gray she-kit)

 **Elders:** Tangle - large tabby tom with amber eyes

 **Cats Outside the Clan**

Oscar - muscular black tom with green eyes

Lily - brown and cream she-cat

Bella - tabby and white she-cat

Delilah - creamy-colored she-cat with one white paw

Leo - dark ginger tabby tom

August - ginger tabby she-cat with blue eyes

* * *

 **Question of the Day**

 **Who did you like best in this chapter: Rabbitleap or Nettlesplash?**

 **#Nettlesplash was easier to write, but I think I liked Rabbitleap's the best.**

* * *

 **Anndd congratulations, you've reached the end of Chapter One!**

 **I really wish I could have included Creekfeather and Plumwillow in this first chapter as well, but I didn't want to break 6k on the very first chapter. This is a story I've thought about publishing for years now, and I'm very excited to finally publish it! Four viewpoints promise to be difficult to navigate, but I'm up for the challenge!**

 **Finally, I've not read _Hawkwing's Journey_ or _A Vision of Shadows_ arc, nor do I plan to. So this story is canon up until the end of the _SkyClan and the Stranger_ comics, but after that it's all AU. So that explains why some warrior names/couples/and kits may be different from canon.**

 **Reviews are better than sunshine on a stormy day!**

* * *

 **Revision Date: 3/6/19**


	2. You're, Like, So Dramatic

**Disclaimer: I, KatieK101, do not own Warriors. If I did then SkyClan would've had their own freakin' arc, like, two years ago. Furthermore, this fic should not be considered canon past the events of 'SkyClan and the Stranger'.**

 **Special thanks to InkblotLeaf for creating this beautiful cover art! You're a gem!**

* * *

 **Chapter Two - You're, Like, So Dramatic**

* * *

When they were young, Fallowfern made sure that all of her kits felt loved and understood how special they were. She called them "my adorable kits!" and said things like "you're so talented!" and "you're so intelligent!"

That really stuck with Creekfeather as he grew up.

Now the (admittedly handsome) gray tabby tom strutted like he was a gift from StarClan, but he managed to be charming about it, so it came off as more enduring than haughty.

Unfortunately, because of this, Creekfeather learned from a very early age that he could get away with just about anything as long as he batted his deep blue eyes. That realization landed him in a lot of- _ahem_ , sticky situations these days.

Like right then, for example.

* * *

Creekfeather panted as he ran up the sandstone path, then ducked into one of the empty caves that the Clan didn't use. Swiftleap, his partner-in-crime, was right behind him.

The creamy-colored tom's sides heaved and his pale blue eyes were wide with fear. "Do you think he saw us duck in here?" Swiftleap panted.

Creekfeather risked poking his head outside the cave (" _Creekfeather, get back in here!"_ ), and then breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't see him anywhere," he meowed, as a smirk played across his lips. "We're in the clear!"

Swiftleap took a cautious glance at the camp below. "You know who else I don't see?" he asked. " _Birdflight._ "

Realization struck Creekfeather like a lightning bolt. A totally-not-dramatic groan escaped his lips. "StarClan, we forgot about Birdflight! Fox-dung, I thought she was right behind us!"

"Well, at least Sharpclaw only saw her, and not us," Swiftleap meowed, trying to sound upbeat. "So maybe we won't get in trouble?"

Creekfeather shot his friend a hard look. "Where's your sense of loyalty?" he demanded. "We can't just let Birdflight take all the blame!"

Dread started to weigh on Swiftleap's features. "Why not?" he groaned.

Creekfeather lifted his chin proudly and gazed across the camp. "Because we're _good cats_ ," he replied, a note of pride singing in his tone.

Swiftleap frowned. "Creekfeather, we were planning to drop a beehive on top of Mintfur. The only reason why we _didn't_ is because Sharpclaw almost caught us."

"Andddd your point _is_ -?"

"We're really _not_ that good of cats."

"Of course we are," the gray tabby argued. "I mean, _maybe_ dropping a beehive on top of somebody isn't exactly "good", but Mintfur is a fox-heart anyway. That justifies it!"

Swiftleap glanced down at the camp and narrowed his pale eyes, as if he was searching for the gray tabby she-cat. "Well, I can't argue with _that_ ," he mumbled.

"See?" Creekfeather flicked the other tom with his tail. "Besides, it's not like we're going to confess to the prank or anything."

"Wait, what?" Swiftleap raised a brow. "If we're not confessing to the prank then what _are_ we doing?"

"Saving Birdflight!" Creekfeather exclaimed. "We'll find her and then sneak her out of camp. We'll wait until sundown to bring her back and let the Clan think that she's been catnapped, so that when she returns they'll be too relieved to even _think_ about punishing her!"

Swiftleap simply stared. "You know, I'm starting to understand why you're such a disappointment to your parents."

"Excuse you, my parents _adore_ me! I'm the favorite of the litter!"

"Uh-huh," Swiftleap agreed dryly. " _Sure_ you are."

Creekfeather glared at his friend and retorted, "At least they didn't name me after twoleg fresh-kill, _Egg_."

"Hey! It's not like _I_ knew what an egg was," Swiftleap protested. "Look, we need a new plan because that one is just bird-brained."

Alright, the more he looked at the plan, the more flaws he found. The Clan would probably assume that Birdflight had taken off on some sort of adventure (she did that often), not catnapped. And if Sharpclaw was looking for her then it would be next-to-impossible to sneak her out of the camp. _Plus_ if they were caught sneaking her out then they would all be in even _bigger_ trouble.

However, Swiftleap had called him a family disappointment, and his pride wouldn't allow him to simply accept that. _No, I'm going to make this plan work even if it kills me!_

"Fine then, I don't need your help," Creekfeather declared with a lash of his tail. "I can pull this plan off all by myself, and _then_ we'll see who the family disappointment is!"

And with those parting words, he started to carefully navigate his way down the rocky ledge, eyes trained firmly on the ground below.

"No, wait! Creekfeather!" Swiftleap hissed. "You don't-"

"I'm not listening to you, Swiftleap!" Creekfeather called over his shoulder. "You'll see, this is a _brilliant_ plan!"

"I'm not talking about the plan!" Swiftleap cried, urgency heavy in his tone. "Watch out, the ledge isn't-"

Creekfeather didn't catch the rest of the warning because, at that moment, the rocky trail began to crumble from beneath him. He yelped and tried to find a stable paw-hold but it was too late. The next thing he knew he was falling, and then a sharp _crack_ resounded when he crashed into the ground.

" _Creekfeather_!"

"Great StarClan, are you okay?"

"What happened? I heard something crack!"

"Ugh," Creekfeather groaned, as he gathered his legs beneath him and tried to stand up. "I _felt_ something crack…"

Fallowfern and Waspwhisker pushed their way through the crowd of cats until they were standing at their son's side. "Are you alright?" Fallowfern fretted, as she nosed his body, carefully searching for any wounds.

"My shoulder hurts," Creekfeather meowed through gritted teeth. "I think I- _ugh_ , I think I dislocated it." Another thought struck him and he raised his head to look at his parents. "Hey, I _am_ your favorite kit, right?"

Waspwhisker blinked, then shot Fallowfern a look of unease. "I think he hit his head," he meowed, _genuine concern_ in his voice.

"I did not!" Creekfeather protested loudly. He jerked away from his father and then immediately regretted doing so when he put weight on his shoulder. A stinging pain darted through it and he hissed loudly.

"Creekfeather!" a stern voice snapped. The gray tom jerked his head up, and immediately dread began to bubble anxiously inside his chest: Sharpclaw.

The dark ginger tom was striding towards him with anger burning in his leaf-green eyes. "What in StarClan's name were you doing in that cave?" he demanded.

Creekfeather swallowed the fear that formed in his throat and risked glancing up at the cave. Thankfully Swiftleap had ducked back inside so that Sharpclaw wouldn't notice him. "Um, which cave are you referring to, exactly?"

"You one you just fell from!" Sharpclaw snapped. "The one that's _off-limits_."

Fallowfern stepped forward, attracting the deputy's attention. "Don't be too harsh with him, Sharpclaw. He hit his head when he fell, so he-"

"I didn't hit my head!" Creekfeather cried, exasperated. He looked at Sharpclaw as a frown played across his lips. "And how was I supposed to know that the cave was off-limits? Nobody told me!"

Sharpclaw narrowed his eyes. "Leafstar announced it at the Gathering, bird-brain. Weren't you paying attention at all last night?"

 _Oh, fox-dung._ "Uhh…"

" _Ahem,_ Sharpclaw," Waspwhisker cleared his throat, then gestured to his son's head with his tail. "His injury might have-"

"For StarClan's sake, I landed on _my shoulder_!" The gray tom groaned, frustrated. "My head is _fine_!"

"That's debatable," Ebonyclaw muttered to Patchfoot, who nodded agreeably in response. Creekfeather glared at the two senior warriors but kept his jaws clamped shut; _I'm already in enough trouble as it is..._

Sharpclaw shook his head, disgusted. "Creekfeather, go to the Medicine Cats' den and have them look at your shoulder."

"What about his head?" Mintfur piped up, smirking. Creekfeather glared at the gray tabby she-cat, and suddenly wished that they'd gone through with their prank and dropped the beehive on her; it would've been worth any punishment Sharpclaw could dream up.

Sharpclaw rolled his green eyes. "Not even the most gifted medicine cat could fix Creekfeather's head."

" _Hey_!"

The SkyClan deputy stepped aside and gestured towards the Medicine Cat Den with his tail. "Go on, then. Leafstar and I will discuss your punishment later." Suddenly his eyes narrowed and he looked up at the cave. "And don't think you're going to escape punishment either, Swiftleap!"

Even from his place on the ground, Creekfeather still overheard Swiftleap mumble, " _Fox-dung_."

Fox-dung indeed, Swiftleap. Fox-dung indeed.

* * *

Creekfeather limped towards the Medicine Cats' Den, mindful to keep his weight off of his shoulder. Once he limped inside the den however, he was greeted with an unexpected sight: Nettlesplash.

Not that Nettlesplash was invincible and never injured himself, but because he would rather wallow in misery inside his nest then walk all the way to the Medicine Cats' Den.

"What are you doing here?" Creekfeather asked his littermate.

"Making sure I haven't caught any diseases," came Nettlesplash's bland response.

Creekfeather raised a brow as he settled down beside his brother, still mindful of the shoulder injury. " _Diseases_ ," he echoed. "Why would you have any diseases?"

The pale brown tom's features twisted into a grimace. "Because Birdflight shoved her tail in my mouth. _Twice_."

Creekfeather rolled his eyes and said, "Nettlesplash, don't take this the wrong way but you're, like, _so_ dramatic." _Even more so than me._

"Not that I really care, but why are you here?" Nettlesplash inquired, not a drop of curiosity in his bored tone.

"I fell from a cave and dislocated my shoulder."

"Of course you did," He responded, as if his explanation didn't startle him in the slightest. Creekfeather glared at his amber-eyed littermate, offended by his lack of a reaction. _I should probably be offended by his lack of concern as well,_ but Creekfeather knew better than to expect so much from Nettlesplash.

The littermates sat in silence for a few moments. Creekfeather shifted his weight around and hissed when he accidentally put pressure on his shoulder. Nettlesplash continued to gaze boredly at the cave walls.

Suddenly a thought struck one of them. "Hey, Nettlesplash?"

"What."

"Who do you think Fallowfern and Waspwhisker's favorite kit is?"

"Rabbitleap. Everyone knows that."

"Wrong," Creekfeather meowed immediately. "Everyone knows that _I'm_ their favorite kit."

For a moment there was absolute silence between them. Then, _slowllyyyy_ , Nettlesplash turned to face his brother. The faintest expression of concern creased Nettlesplash's features, a decidedly strange look for him. "Creekfeather, I think you hit your head when you fell."

" _I did not_!" He protested shrilly.

"Well then I have some bad news: you're just bird-brained."

" _Why you_ -" Creekfeather growled, but was interrupted when Echosong and Frecklewish padded into the den.

"Sorry it took us so long to get here, Creekfeather," Echosong apologized. "We didn't know you were in here until Sharpclaw informed us that you hurt your shoulder."

"And Mintfur said that we should check your head, too," Frecklewish added, a note of confusion in her tone.

Creekfeather scowled at the pretty medicine cat. Nettlesplash snickered.

Echosong glanced at Nettlesplash, and a frown tightened her features. "Nettlesplash, what are you still doing here? I already told you, you don't have any diseases!"

"And neither does Birdflight, for the record," Frecklewish added dryly.

The pale brown tom flicked his tail. "Yes, she absolutely does. Anyway, you didn't check me for _all diseases_."

Echosong eyed him wearily. "Nettlesplash, we checked you for white-cough, green-cough, black-cough, poison, chest infections, fever, and chills. What else could you _possibly_ have contracted?"

"Her stupidity," came Nettlesplash's response. Creekfeather almost laughed, until he realized that Nettlesplash was completely serious.

"Her _stupidity_ ," Echosong repeated as if she hadn't heard him right. "Nettlesplash, you're being ridiculous! Birdflight isn't stupid, and even if she were, stupidity isn't contagious!"

"What about insanity?" Nettlesplash challenged. "Because there's no way that- _that_ _she-demon_ is sane!"

"Are any of us perfectly sane, though?" Creekfeather interjected thoughtfully. "In our own special ways, aren't we all a bit insane?"

"Perhaps, however," Nettlesplash glanced pointedly at him, "some of us are saner than others."

"You're a laugh a minute, you know that?"

"For StarClan's sake, Nettlesplash," Echosong started, exasperated. "Stupidity and insanity aren't diseases, nor are they contagious. Now, _please_ , get out of my den!"

Nettlesplash scowled at Echosong, but did as she told him to. "There's a reason why I never come here!" he called over his shoulder.

"Yeah," Frecklewish mumbled, "because you're _lazy._ "

"Frecklewish," Echosong started warningly.

"He is!" Frecklewish protested. "He's lazy and stuck-up! Ugh, I'm _glad_ he doesn't come here more often!"

Creekfeather flashed her a charming smile. "You're glad I come here though, aren't you?"

The mottled she-cat's features softened, and she purred happily. "Of course I am," she meowed. "You're always a pleasure to be around, Creekfeather."

 _Hah! Take that, Nettlesplash!_

"Stop flirting with my apprentice, Creekfeather," Echosong meowed, although there was no real venom behind her scolding; Creekfeather knew that he was one of Echosong's favorite patients.

"Sorry Echosong," he apologized. "Sometimes I forget just how charming I can be," He punctuated his apology with a wink towards Frecklewish. The young medicine cat giggled.

Echosong didn't seem all that impressed. "Uh- _huh_ , I'm sure. So, Sharpclaw said you think you dislocated your shoulder?"

Creekfeather nodded. "It hurts to put any pressure on it."

"Well if you fell from a cave then it's certainly a possibility," the silver tabby she-cat agreed. She appeared at his side and examined the shoulder for a moment, before gesturing for Frecklewish to join her. "Looks like you're right, Creekfeather."

"As _always_."

Echosong rolled her eyes, good-naturedly. "Anyway, we'll have to pop it back in place. Lay on your side Creekfeather, and Frecklewish you stand right there… yes, just like that!"

As Frecklewish positioned herself above Creekfeather's head, the warrior was suddenly hit with worry. "Uh, this won't hurt, will it?"

"Only a bit," came Echosong's answer. "It'll be over before you know it."

"If you say so," he meowed, uncertainty written across his features.

"Alright Frecklewish, put your paws above his shoulder and hold him down. Breath in and out a few times, Creekfeather. Now, I'm just going to take your forepaw in my mouth and give it a sharp tug, and it should pop right back into place."

" _Should_?!"

"One, two, _three_!"

" _Wai_ -!..."

"... Echosong? Did he just-"

"Yep."

* * *

If Rabbitleap was the responsible one; Nettlesplash was the lazy one; Creekfeather was the mischievous one; then Plumwillow was the sap that held them together and kept them close.

She was also something of a strategist and more than a little bit romantic, and when the two traits combined they spelled out trouble for the local toms. All young she-cats fancied someone, and Plumwillow was no exception.

Rockshade was her soulmate, and no one could change her mind.

 _Mmhmm_ , _Rockshade_. He had a stone-black pelt that gleamed in the sunlight and amber eyes that shone brightly with purpose; a small cut was on the corner of his eye that spoke of his bravery. He was strong, intelligent, and bold. He wasn't quite as laid-back as Tinycloud or Bouncefire, but Plumwillow liked how serious he could be.

With brothers like Nettlesplash and Creekfeather, it would be a _relief_ to be around more mature company.

The problem was… well, Rockshade wasn't exactly aware of her existence.

 _But that's okay!_ That was absolutely fine. Just because they hadn't interacted much in the past didn't mean that they couldn't _eventually_ be close.

And by eventually, that meant starting today.

Plumwillow was bold and confident, so maybe other cats would be too anxious to take a risk and try to change a relationship, but she wasn't really concerned. After all, she had a plan.

Plumwillow always had a knack for strategizing and noticing details, then piecing them together. And she finally pieced together the perfect plan to get Rockshade to notice her, and realize that she was his perfect match.

* * *

Plumwillow stared at Honeyflower with baited breath. She'd just finished relaying her grand plan to her best friend, and now she was awaiting a response.

She didn't have anything to worry about. The light gray she-cat had listened intently the entire time, and now she gazed at Plumwillow in awe.

"That's brilliant!" she exclaimed.

"Isn't it," Plumwillow agreed, not bothering to mask her pride. She'd been plotting that plan for three moons now, spending countless days simply mulling over details, analyzing interactions, and predicting various outcomes. She didn't want to share it with anyone until she had every detail mapped out, and now she was going to soak up every hard-earned praise.

Plumwillow and Honeyflower were lounged on a couple of smooth, sun-soaked stones. The stones were wonderful but since they were just outside of the camp, cats prefered to use the Sunningstones near the Elders' Den. Not that the she-cats were offended in the slightest; they didn't have to share the stones with anyone, and the space had eventually evolved into their place.

"So," the blue-eyed warrior started, "what exactly do you want _me_ to do?"

"Befriend him," Plumwillow replied simply. "I'll tell Tinycloud about the plan later today, so she can help us schedule interactions with him."

Honeyflower nodded slowly. " _Okaayyy_. And once Rockshade has warmed up to me, you want me to start encouraging him towards you?"

"That's right," the she-cat meowed brightly. "Say whatever you can to make me sound impressive, until Rockshade has _no choice_ but to want to get to know me! And then _I'll_ handle the rest."

"Well, that shouldn't be hard," Honeyflower mused, before nudging her friend's shoulder affectionately. "You're already one of the most impressive cats I know!"

Plumwillow licked her friend's ear. "You're the reason I always expect my plans to go off without a hitch," she teased her. "You never quit feeding my ego!"

"That's because your ego is always hungry," Honeyflower retorted, blue eyes agleam. "Just like the rest of you."

Plumwillow smiled sheepishly and ducked her head. Honeyflower wasn't wrong; as a matter of fact, Creekfeather liked to joke that one day the Clan would starve because his sister had eaten all the prey in the territory. _Actually, now that I think about it, I could probably go for a couple of squirrels right now…_

Honeyflower smirked and asked, "You're hungry now, aren't you?"

"You know me too well," Plumwillow purred. "Why don't we-"

And then her heart skipped a beat.

Emerging from gorge was a border patrol, led by none other than Rockshade. Behind them were Ebonyclaw and Sandytail, though Plumwillow hardly noticed the other cats. Whenever Rockshade appeared, he commanded every ounce of her attention.

He didn't even glance at the she-cats when he passed, yet Plumwillow couldn't contain the dreamy sigh that escaped her lips once he disappeared into the camp.

Honeyflower looked at her friend, and a smile played across her lips. "Wow, you have it _bad_."

"He's just so…" Plumwillow trailed off, unable to put her admiration into words.

"Handsome?" Honeyflower offered. "Skilled? Intelligent?"

" _All of that_ ," she responded. "He's the perfect warrior!"

"Well, who knows?" The light gray she-cat teased, "I mean, if he's the _perfect warrior_ …maybe he'll end up being the next Clan leader?"

"Over Rabbitleap's dead body."

At the mention of Plumwillow's ambitious littermate, Honeyflower's features softened with sympathy. "I feel so bad for him; he looked so disappointed when Leafstar made Mintfur Firepaw's mentor! Everyone knows about those two and their rivalry."

"And knowing Mintfur, she'll rub it in his face until Firepaw becomes a warrior," Plumwillow agreed.

"Well, hopefully he'll have his own apprentice before then," the other she-cat meowed, determined to be optimistic.

"Hopefully," Plumwillow murmured. _Hopefully a lot of things will be different by then._ Hopefully Rabbitleap would have an apprentice of his own; hopefully Creekfeather would stop getting into trouble with Sharpclaw every other day; hopefully something would spark inside of Nettlesplash and he would actually do something productive every day, instead of hiding from social interaction and sleeping; and hopefully she and Rockshade would be mates, or at least close.

The dark gray she-cat licked a paw, then dragged it over her ear. "You know, I'm a _fantastic_ multitasker," she started smugly.

Honeyflower's face fell, and she stared at her friend with disdain; she already knew where this was going. "Oh?" she asked, purely to be polite.

"Uh-huh. Wouldn't it be sweet if I found _your soulmate_ while we work on getting Rockshade to fall for me? Then we could court our toms together!"

The light gray she-cat sighed, but was tolerant nonetheless. "Say I _did_ decide to let you manage my love life; who would you pick out for me?"

Plumwillow could hardly contain the excitement that bubbled within her chest as she exclaimed, " _Bouncefire_!"

"You're only say that because he's Rockshade and Tinycloud's brother!" Honeyflower huffed, eyes narrowed accusingly.

"I admit, that _is_ a bonus," she relented carefully, "but it's _only_ a bonus. Bouncefire's personality would fit perfectly with yours! He's playful, funny, and a genuinely good tom." She smiled at her best friend. "And you deserve a tom who's all that _and more_."

Honeyflower's blue eyes softened, but a look of hesitance masked her pretty features. "Bouncefire is a great cat," she started slowly. "But I just… I don't know. You seem to know exactly what you want in a mate, but I have no idea!"

"Every cat has a type," Plumwillow replied surely. "You just have to figure out what it is. Look, when you talk to Rockshade, see if he mentions Bouncefire at all. Listen to what he says, and then mull over it a bit; see if he's the type of cat that you could settle down with."

Honeyflower's eyes brightened. "Yeah… okay, I can do that!" She purred and nudged Plumwillow's shoulder with her muzzle. "You're the best, Plumwillow! Just wait; once I start telling Rockshade about you, he'll be _begging_ you to be his mate!"

Plumwillow smiled confidently, even though inside she was a bundle of coiled nerves. "Here's to hoping! Now, let's go get some squirrels and then-"

"Plumwillow, there you are!" The she-cats glanced back and blinked when they saw Sparrowpelt. The dark brown tom looked irritated and- well, actually, kinda how Nettlesplash looked every single day of his life.

"Hey," Plumwillow greeted him, caught off guard by his abrupt arrival. "Everything okay?"

"Depends," Sparrowpelt replied, his tone dry. "Echosong sent me to find you. Creekfeather fainted and she wants you to stay with him until he wakes up."

"Creekfeather _fainted_?" Plumwillow echoed, incredulously.

"Why?" Honeyflower asked.

Sparrowpelt shrugged. "Dunno. Echosong said she was pulling his shoulder back into place, and then he just… fainted. Passed right out."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Great StarClan, Creekfeather," Plumwillow mumbled with a roll of her eyes. _And he wonders why we_ _don't_ _call Nettlesplash the dramatic one._ "Alright, lead the way, Sparrowpelt."

 _I swear, sometimes I wonder what they would do without me._

* * *

 **Question of the Day**

 **Who did you like best in this chapter: Creekfeather or Plumwillow?**

 **#Creekfeather is a joy, but Plumwillow is wonderful...**

* * *

 **Anndd now you've met all the littermates! They're a delightful bunch, I have to say, and I'm really excited to be writing about such a close group of siblings. I personally have a hugeee, very close family, so I'm confident that I can nail the dynamic (and the frustrations) xD**

 **Reviews are better than ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies! (::) (::) (::)**

* * *

 **Revision Date: 3/6/19**


	3. Rabbitleap Should Mind His Own Business

**Disclaimer: I, KatieK101, do not own Warriors. If I did then SkyClan would've had their own freakin' arc, like, two years ago. Furthermore, this fic should not be considered canon past the events of 'SkyClan and the Stranger'.**

 **Special thanks to InkblotLeaf for creating this beautiful cover art! You're a gem!**

* * *

 **Chapter Three - Rabbitleap Should Mind His Own Business**

* * *

Typically Rabbitleap didn't subscribe to Nettlesplash's 'never-leave-the-nest-and-avoid-social-interaction' theory, but he always did his best to remain open-minded.

Which was just a responsible way to say that he was sulking.

 _Mintfur. Rival. Apprentice. Future deputy. Life is ruined._

Leafstar kept a close eye on every apprentice in training, but she would keep an extra close eye on Firepaw and Stormpaw. She wanted her daughters to mature into brilliant warriors, and she would want only the best warriors to mentor them.

 _So then why did she choose_ _Mintfur_ _?_

Rabbitleap could understand why she chose Sparrowpelt. The two toms were friends and he was an ideal mentor. He was patient, encouraging, yet he was also firm and expected results. Stormpaw would thrive beneath his careful eye.

But Mintfur was barely even _likable_! She was arrogant, rude, stuck-up, and casually cruel. Did Leafstar really want such a she-cat to mentor her other daughter? Especially after Harrykit's untimely death?

 _Maybe I should… talk to Leafstar about it,_ Rabbitleap thought, as his hopeless amber gaze roamed the cave walls. _I could ask her why she chose Mintfur over me. Maybe I could even convince her to reassign Firepaw to me!_

His ears perked forward as an excited smile started to play across his lips. "Hey… that might actually be a great idea!" He murmured to himself. "It would give me the chance to-"

" _Shh_!" Nettlesplash hissed from his own nest. "Rabbitleap, only bird-brained freaks talk to themselves."

Rabbitleap recoiled away from his littermate, as a frown replaced his once-enthusiastic smile. "That's not true!" he protested. "Talking to oneself is a great way to organize your thoughts and-"

"I don't care," Nettlesplash groaned. "I just want to sleep without being interrupted! First Birdflight and her diseases, and now you and your organization methods! What's a cat got to do to get some sleep around here?"

Rabbitleap narrowed his eyes. "You know it's just sun-high, right? You should be out and about, patrolling and hunting and being a credit to your Clan! Not sleeping your life away."

Nettlesplash rolled over on his back so that he could fix his brother with a glare. "Go give one of your speeches to someone who actually _cares_ , Rabbitleap. Maybe you could go to the Medicine Cats' Den and preach to Creekfeather about safety."

The brown tom's frown faded and he blinked. "Hold on, what? Why is Creekfeather in the Medicine Cats' Den?"

His brother shrugged. "He said he fell from a cliff or something; I wasn't really listening. I think he hit his head pretty hard, he was talking nonsense."

Rabbitleap nearly choked on the very air he breathed.

"He fell from a cliff?" he exclaimed, incredulous. "Great StarClan Nettlesplash, don't you think you should have mentioned that earlier?!"

The pale brown tom shrugged again. "Eh. Who cares if Creekfeather hit his head? It's not like we'll be able to tell a difference."

" _Ugh_!" Rabbitleap groaned as he climbed out of his nest. He shook off any remaining sulkiness and hurried towards the Medicine Cats' Den. _I'll wait and speak to Leafstar later,_ he decided.

* * *

Rabbitleap burst into the Medicine Cats' Den only to screech to a halt.

"Plumwillow," he started, incredulous. "What are you doing here?"

Plumwillow was settled with her tail curled neatly around her paws. At her paws laid an unconscious lump of dark gray tabby fur - _Creekfeather_.

A strangled cry escaped Rabbitleap's maw. "He's _unconscious_? Nettlesplash didn't say anything about that!"

Plumwillow rolled her eyes. "And that surprises you? I doubt Nettlesplash cares enough to know that Creekfeather fainted… actually, I'm surprised that he even knew Creekfeather injured himself in the first place!"

"When did this happen?" He demanded. "How did it happen? And why did I not know about it until _Nettlesplash of all cats_ told me?!"

Plumwillow lowered her gaze until it was trained solely on their unconscious littermate. "It happened this morning, a little after the ceremony ended. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I would guess it was a prank gone wrong, knowing Creekfeather. And nobody told you about it because you were busy sulking and feeling sorry for yourself."

The fur along his neck bristled. "I was _not_ moping!" Rabbitleap protested indignantly. Only spoiled kittens and lazy warriors moped around! Not future Clan leaders/deputies!

Plumwillow raised her head once again, and Rabbitleap felt his indigence begin to ebb after their gazes met. Her green eyes gleamed knowingly, sternly even, but not unkindly. That was the thing about Plumwillow; she always called you out on your mistakes, but she was never cruel about it.

That didn't make the truth any easier to swallow, however. Rabbitleap avoided her piercing gaze and instead focused on Creekfeather. "I _wasn't_ sulking. So he's going to be alright? No real harm done?"

"Not this time."

"And probably not the next time, either. Honestly, at this point, I think Creekfeather is indestructible."

Plumwillow hummed in agreement. I didn't think she was finished with our argument, but she let it go for the time being.

I asked, "So what exactly happened to him? Nettlesplash said he fell from a cliff, but then said that he was talking nonsense afterward… and why did he _faint_?" A cold shiver shot down his spine. "It-it wasn't due to blood loss, was it?"

Despite the dangerous suggestion Plumwillow only rolled her bright green eyes. "Oh StarClan no, nothing like that. See, when he fell he dislocated his shoulder - and supposedly hit his head, but that's not important right now - he came here to have the medicine cats jerk it back into place. Well, our dear brother, being the overdramatic bird-brain that he is, fainted as soon as Echosong popped the joint back into place."

Rabbitleap drew back from his sister, caught off guard. "I'm sorry… _what_?"

Plumwillow nodded crisply. "Yep."

"That-that's ridiculous!" he sputtered.

"And slightly embarrassing," she agreed. "Can you believe he's our littermate?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," the dark brown tom muttered. Now that he knew Creekfeather was going to be fine, his concern was replaced with frustration. "You know, this type of behavior has gone on for too long. Ever since he was a kit, Creekfeather has been pulling stunts like this; either he lands himself in trouble or injures himself, and sometimes he manages to do both!"

Plumwillow shrugged. "But what are you going to do about it? Creekfeather thrives off of the attention of others, and this is how he gets it."

Rabbitleap shook his head. "He needs to find something else to do before he actually hurts himself. I don't know if Creekfeather is indestructible or not, but I'd rather not risk finding out."

"Easier said than done," Plumwillow remarked. "While _I_ agree with you, I'm not so sure that _Creekfeather_ will. And he's impressively stubborn."

"I'll find a way to convince him," Rabbitleap meowed resolutely. "Creekfeather might be stubborn, but I'm determined. I think we know which one of us will be the victor here."

Plumwillow shot him a sly smile. "Hey, don't sell yourself short; you're determined _and_ _stubborn_! Very admirable qualities in our next Clan leader."

The tom smirked in return and shouldered his sister playfully. "Sharpclaw is literally the most stubborn cat in the entire Clan, and look at him. I think I'll be just fine."

"Speaking of Sharpclaw," the green-eyed she-cat began, "I promised to inform him of Creekfeather's state once it was sun-high. I don't wanna leave him alone, so would you mind-?"

"Say no more," Rabbitleap replied, as he stood to his paws. "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, future-Clan-leader," Plumwillow purred.

"You're welcome, loyal supporter," he called back.

* * *

The dark brown tom ducked his head into different dens on his search for Sharpclaw. The Elders' Den, the Nursery, and the Warriors' Den among others (Nettlesplash was still lazing around in his nest, for the record). He was on his way to one of the renovated dens when a haughty voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Well, if it isn't the future leader of SkyClan."

Rabbitleap clenched his jaw and kept walking, praying to StarClan that she would take the hint and leave him alone.

He had no such luck.

"Where are you going, Rabbitleap?" Mintfur sneered as she followed him. A moment later she appeared at his side, smirking. "Aren't you going to congratulate me on receiving my first apprentice?"

" _No."_ What he really wanted to do was swipe that stupid smirk off of her stupid face.

Mintfur huffed. " _Rude_. You of all cats know what an honor it is to receive an apprentice, especially at such a young age. And it's the Clan leader's daughter, no less!"

 _Shut-up, shut-up, shut-up!_ "It's not _that big_ of a deal," Rabbitleap meowed coldly and tried to ignore the fact that it was a _huge_ deal. _If I were Mintfur I would strut around the camp too._

The gray tabby she-cat laughed, smug. "Oh please, we both know you're lying." Suddenly Mintfur stepped in front of him, blocking his path. Rabbitleap scowled at her and she smirked in return. "Admit it," she crowed. "You're just bitter because I was assigned an apprentice before you, and now I'm one step closer to becoming the leader of SkyClan."

She tilted her head to the side, green eyes agleam. "Then again, I've always been a step ahead of you."

"Congratulations," Rabbitleap finally snapped. "There, I said it. Are you happy now?"

"Very," came her smug response. She shot one last stupid, _stupid smirk_ and then brushed past him. He clamped down on the urge to bite her tail as she passed.

"Oh, and Rabbitleap?"

 _StarClan, just go ahead and kill me now!_

"What?" he growled.

When he glanced back Mintfur was still smirking, her tail held high. "Don't worry about me and Firepaw. Once I become leader, I promise I'll give you your first apprentice."

Dread settled in the pit of his stomach like a stone. Even as Mintfur laughed and went to find her new apprentice, Rabbitleap remained rooted in the sandstone ground like a great oak tree.

 _I can't let her win. I can't let her become deputy before me; if Mintfur ever has a word in it, I'll never become Clan leader._

He had to get an apprentice, and quick. If Mintfur managed to impress Leafstar and Sharpclaw, then they would never give _him_ a chance.

The dark brown warrior couldn't contain the groan that pressed against his teeth. _There's so much I need to do! I need to show Leafstar and Sharpclaw that I can train my own apprentice; I need to find a way to get Nettlesplash more active; I need to convince Creekfeather that these stupid pranks have to stop!_ Or… at least he had to stop injuring himself in the process.

All of this was easier said than done.

Finally, he just sat down and watched his Clanmates go about their day. The buzz of activity relaxed him, and slowly the tension melted from his shoulders _. I can do this. I just need plans._ Typically Plumwillow was the strategizer, the one with the plan, but she was busy on her quest to earn Rockshade's affections.

 _Actually, I should probably focus on that, too._ No tom was good enough for Plumwillow, Rockshade included.

"If only I could ask Firestar how he managed to find so many apprentices," Rabbitleap mumbled to himself. "I mean, all he did was go to the twoleg place and talk to cats, but I can't do that."

Pause.

And… _why_ couldn't he do that, exactly?

And then, brilliance struck.

"That's it!" the warrior gasped, effectively earning himself several strange looks from his Clanmates. But at that moment he couldn't bring himself to care about their glances.

"That's it," he breathed again, practically quivering with excitement. "I don't have to wait for Cherrytail's kits to be apprenticed; I can find my own apprentice at the twoleg place!" Surely if Firestar could create an entirely new Clan then could convince a young kittypet or loner to give Clan life a chance!

After that, ideas came one after another.

 _I know how to get an apprentice._

 _I know how to force Nettlesplash to stop lazing around and actually become_ _involved_ _with the Clan._

 _I know how to…_ well, he had a few ideas that _might_ work on Creekfeather, but it was dangerous to assume anything whereas that tom was concerned.

With a bright, determined grin Rabbitleap jumped to his paws and started searching for Sharpclaw once again. He had plans that needed to be put into motion, and his former mentor was going to help him do it.

 _Plumwillow had better watch out!_ Soon, there would be a new strategizer in the family!

* * *

"Leafstar and Sharpclaw want to talk to you."

Nettlesplash cracked an eye open and glared at his smirking littermate. Rabbitleap was practically radiating with pride, and that was never a good thing. It was the same expression he used to wear when they kits and he would tattle to Fallowfern.

"Why?"

"Because they do. Now come on, it's not a good idea to keep the Clan leader and her deputy waiting."

"Hmm. Remind me of that whenever Mintfur is Clan leader, and you're _her_ deputy."

The smirk slipped right off of Rabbitleap's features, and a hard look replaced it. Meanwhile Nettleplash was now smirking, pleased with his jab. _That one_ would irritate him for a good few moments.

"First of all, Mintfur would never make me her deputy. She hates me almost as much as I hate her. Second of all, Mintfur will never be Clan leader because _I_ will be Clan leader, and I would never-"

"Oh my StarClan, just stop," he groaned, no longer smug. "I'm sorry for saying anything at all!"

"Good," Rabbitleap retorted. "Now come on. They want to see you _now_."

" _Finee_ , I'm coming," Nettlesplash huffed. "Don't get your tail in a twist."

Rabbitleap rolled his amber eyes.

"So," the pale brown tom started dryly, as they made their way towards Leafstar's Den, "is it safe to assume that this whole setup is _your_ fault?"

"You're welcome."

Nettlesplash glared at him, and Rabbitleap smirked in return. The tables had turned.

"You know, you look a lot like Creekfeather whenever you smirk."

 _Annddd_ now he was scowling again. _Perfect._

His own smirked faded when he entered the den and realized that they weren't alone. Aside from Leafstar and Sharpclaw, there was also Creekfeather, Swiftleap, and _Birdflight_.

"No." Nettlesplash said immediately. "Whyever you called me here, whatever this meeting is for, _no_."

But Leafstar peered past him as if he were invisible, and nodded towards Rabbitleap. "You can go now, Rabbitleap. Thank you."

His dark brown littermate blinked, and for a second he looked like he might protest. But it was only for a second and nobody was fooled; if Leafstar commanded Rabbitleap to chew his left paw off, he would do it without hesitance. So with a respectful dip of his head, Rabbitleap excused himself and exited the den.

Nettlesplash didn't bother watching him leave, and instead turned to glare at the rest of the den; specifically his three fellow warriors. "No," he meowed again. "I don't even know why I'm here, but no."

"I'm afraid that's not your decision to make, Nettlesplash," Leafstar meowed, a sympathetic note in her voice. That only served to further unnerve the pale brown tom "But you're not the focus right now, anyway." Instead she turned to look at Creekfeather, Swiftleap, and Birdflight. "I assume you three know why you're here?"

"Yes," Birdflight.

"Yes," Swiftleap.

"Not really-OUCH!" Creekfeather, who was now glaring at Swiftleap. Swiftleap shrugged as if it were an accident that he'd suddenly stomped on his tail.

"It's because of the prank, right?" Birdflight asked. The black she-cat was the only one who looked truly ashamed or apologetic; her features were twisted into a forlorn expression. _Well, good riddance._

Creekfeather spoke up. "If it's because of the prank, I would like to point out that nobody was injured… _except me_. So really, haven't we been punished enough already?"

Sharpclaw raised a brow. "Swiftleap and Birdflight weren't injured though, and they were apart of the prank."

The gray tabby tom seemed to mull over that for a few heartbeats and then shrugged agreeably. "True… so just punish them, then."

"Creekfeather!" Swiftleap hissed, before cuffing his friend over the ear. "What happened to your whole "no cat left behind" speech?!"

"Eh," Creekfeather shrugged. "You were right. We're not that good of cats anyway."

Leafstar raised her tail for silence. "That's enough," she meowed calmly. "Creekfeather, Swiftleap, you two have caused enough problems to last all nine of my lives. And not only are you pulling pranks but now you're injuring yourselves in the process. Sharpclaw and I are out of ideas to make you two behave… luckily, Creekfeather, one of your siblings is full of ideas."

Creekfeather blinked, caught off guard. He turned to gaze at Nettlesplash quizzically. "Plumwillow?" he inquired.

"Rabbitleap, actually," Nettlesplash replied.

Creekfeather's face fell, and he glared at his paws. "Fox-dung," he cursed.

Leafstar looked faintly amused by the exchange. "Rabbitleap had a very good idea. He mentioned that if you two had more responsibilities to attend to, then you would have less time to cause trouble. So, as punishment for trying to pull another prank and going into an unrestricted den, for the next moon Creekfeather and Swiftleap will spend their entire day doing chores."

"Chores?" Swiftleap exclaimed, horrified. "For an entire moon?!"

"But… but only apprentices do chores!" Creekfeather protested. "I've been a warrior for two moons!"

"Then you should have no problem adjusting to your old responsibilities," Sharpclaw retorted. "And not only will you be performing apprentice chores, but you will also carry out any orders that Leafstar or myself give you. And on top of that, you will be expected to continue with your regular warrior duties."

Swiftleap's eyes were so wide, they looked like two full moons.

Creekfeather was going to faint again.

Even Nettlesplash had to admit, this was a miserable punishment. No wonder Rabbitleap had looked so proud of himself; Creekfeather and Swiftleap would hardly have time to eat, much less organize a prank.

Not that he felt any sympathy for his brother or his friend. As their favorite victim, this punishment had his full support.

"Creekfeather, Swiftleap, you're dismissed," Leafstar said with a flick of her tail. Typically the two would stick around and protest a little longer, but it seemed that they were too overwhelmed to do anything other than nod, stand to their paws, and pad out of the den.

 _And then there were two._

"Why doesn't Birdflight have to do any chores?" Nettlesplash asked, and ignored the dirty look the _insane_ she-cat shot him.

"Because Birdflight has a different punishment," Leafstar meowed. The leader of SkyClan turned to face the black warrior. "Birdflight, Sharpclaw and I are concerned about your actions as of late. You've always been somewhat of a…. a _thrill-seeker_ , but now you've taken it too far."

"Actually," Sharpclaw interrupted dryly, "she took it too far when she tried to ride a fox into camp."

 _Here, here!_

"Thank you, Sharpclaw," Leafstar said, as she shot her deputy a pointed look. "Anyway, we've worried about you. These 'adventures' of yours are only going to get more and more dangerous, and it's only a matter of time until you seriously hurt yourself. We don't mind that you spend so much time outside of camp, exploring the territory, but you've taken it too far."

Nettlesplash would admit, satisfaction coursed through his body when Birdflight's features morphed into a look of horror. "You're not going to confine me to camp, are you?" she cried. "I'm sorry Leafstar, Sharpclaw, but I can't- you don't understand, if you confine me to camp I'll go insane!"

The brown tom scoffed. "You're _already_ insane!" _Why can no one else grasp that?_

Leafstar raised her tail for silence. "No," she meowed calmly, "we aren't going to confine you to camp. I understand that every cat is different; some cats are born with a never-ending curiosity and a sense for adventure, and to take that away from them would simply be cruel."

Relief flooded Birdflight's bright blue eyes. "Thank you," she gushed. "I promise, from now on I won't-"

"However."

 _Oh StarClan_. Why were Leafstar and Sharpclaw glancing at _him_ now?

"Just because we aren't confining you to the camp doesn't mean that we trust you outside of it," Leafstar meowed. "If you happen to come across another fox, I completely believe that you'll try to ride it again."

Birdflight's shoulders were tense. "Well," she started reasonably, "the odds of me stumbling across _another fox_ are-"

"Which is why Rabbitleap proposed that, as your punishment, we should assign another warrior to "shadow" you for the next moon; someone to constantly follow you around, and make sure you don't act recklessly. Rabbitleap suggested Nettlesplash."

Horror shot down his spine and made him leap to his paws. "No!" Nettlesplash exclaimed, furious. Furious at Rabbitleap for sticking his nose in his business, furious at Leafstar and Sharpclaw for going along with it, furious at Birdflight for _existing_ -

"It's not an offer, Nettlesplash," Sharpclaw growled. "It's a decision; _our decision_."

"It's _a punishment_!" The warrior protested. "Moreso for me than for Birdflight anyway! Why do _I_ have to be her "shadow"?"

"He hates me," Birdflight spoke up, her voice bitter. "If you make him my shadower then all he's going to do is criticize me and tell me what I'm doing wrong!"

"Which will be everything, by the way," Nettlesplash added dryly.

Leafstar watched the exchange, her features creased with disapproval. "First of all, you two need to learn how to get along. I can't have my Clanmates at each other's throats all the time."

"We aren't the only ones who argue," Nettlesplash protested. "What about Ebonyclaw and Sparrowpelt? Or Sharpclaw and _literally everyone_?" Another thought struck him. "Wait a moment, what about _Rabbitleap and Mintfur_?! Those two are constantly arguing over something!" _Oh, Rabbitleap had better find a good hiding place and pray to StarClan that I never find him!_ The _heartbeat_ Nettlesplash laid eye on that _-that hypocrite,_ he was going to _murder_ him.

"I only challenge someone when they're wrong," Sharpclaw retorted. "Anyway, this isn't so much because you two don't get along; it has more to do with the fact that you're unreasonably lazy, and need to become more involved in the Clan."

 _Unreasonably lazy,_ Nettlesplash wanted to scoff. He was perfectly lazy within reason!

But instead, he asked, "And how is shadowing an insane she-cat supposed to get me more involved in the Clan?"

"Stop calling me insane!" Birdflight snapped. "I'm not insane, I just don't spend all my time napping and complaining about my life!"

"Which is _exactly_ why you're insane."

"Nettlesplash," Leafstar started, as she came between the couple, "I'm not asking you to become a social butterfly, or act like… like your littermates. But if I can find a way to make you spend more time outside of your nest, then I'll take it."

He scowled. "You make it sound like I'm doing something wrong by _napping_."

Leafstar shrugged. "Well, spending so much time alone in a dark, dusty den certainly isn't healthy."

"You might even say," Birdflight mumbled, "that it could drive you _insane._ "

" _Oh,_ you rotten, sorry excuse for _a_ -!"

"Alright," Sharpclaw growled, as he shoved his way between the couple. "Meeting dismissed. Go spill each other's blood _outside_ of your leader's den."

" _Sharpclaw_!"

"Fine by me," Nettlesplash snapped. He spun around and stormed out of the den, glaring at the outside world for all that it was worth. _Stupid Rabbitleap, stupid Clan leaders, stupid insane she-cat-_

Speaking of insane she-cat's.

"Look," Birdflight started, appearing at his shoulder, "I hate this situation just as much as you do-"

"I doubt that," the tom spat.

"But everything will go much smoother if we can just get along," she finished. "Honestly Nettlesplash, I don't have anything against you. You're the one who hates me."

"And your point _is_ -?"

He _almost_ smirked when the black she-cat scowled at him. " _My point is_ that if you can just make an effort to be civil, then maybe this won't be so bad." Her blue eyes brightened. "Who knows? Maybe once this is all over, we might be friends!"

"No," he immediately meowed. "That will _never_ happen."

Birdflight shrugged. "If you say so," she replied. "Just remember: life has a funny way of doing the exact opposite of what you want."

He hated how omonias her words sounded; like she knew something that he didn't. Like she was _warning_ him.

"We can meet at dawn," Birdflight continued. "Right before they send out the first patrols."

"I'm not up before then," Nettlesplash lied. As horrible as it was, he was always one of the first cats awake in the morning, thanks to the meetings that Rabbitleap insisted they have every single morning. But he usually returned to his nest as soon as they concluded.

"Tough luck," Birdflight retorted. She didn't sound very sympathetic. "See you at dawn."

She took off as soon as the final word left her tongue. Nettlesplash watched her sprint across the camp with narrowed amber eyes, until eventually, she sprinted into the forest, and her pelt became a shrinking black blur. Then he turned around and headed back to his nest.

 _Today was is my last day of blissful freedom._ Tomorrow the torture would commence.

 _I hate my life._

* * *

 **Question of the Day**

 **Do you think Rabbitleap's ideas to get Nettlesplash more involved, and Creekfeather to stop causing trouble, will work?**

 **#Hahahaha**

* * *

 **First of all, a giant shout-out to everyone who left a review on the last chapter: Echo in the Whispering Wind, Cascade of Raining Ice, Skyleaf12, Foreststar of WindClan, Stargone, PitchBlackRose, Swiftmist of Shadowclan, I-really-hope-not, Rosymist, Snowfall16, Splash of Thunder in Mist, BrightMind, Icywind, Azurai Wolf, and MarchieBunnie** **. You are all beautiful souls!**

 **So, you've officially met Mintfur. I would've asked you guys how you feel about her, although I'm sure the majority of you probably aren't big fans of her... yet! I actually really like Mintfur. She's such a jerk xD Definitely keeps Rabbitleap on his paws.**

 **Next chapter should be a lot of fun! It'll include Rabbitleap for sure, and probably Plumwillow. I can't decide if the third POV should go to Creekfeather or Nettlesplash, though... thoughts?**

 **Reviews are almost as much great as playful kittens!**

* * *

 **Revision Date: 3/8/19**


	4. Desperation Doesn't Look Good on You

**Disclaimer: I, KatieK101, do not own Warriors. If I did then SkyClan would've had their own freakin' arc, like, two years ago. Furthermore, this fic should not be considered canon past the events of 'SkyClan and the Stranger'.**

 **Special thanks to InkblotLeaf for creating this beautiful cover art! You're a gem!**

* * *

 **Chapter Four - Desperation Doesn't Look Good on You**

* * *

The Twolegplace was bigger than Rabbitleap remembered.

Of course, it'd been ages since he'd last visited it. The last time he was still apprentice who was afraid of heights. Things had certainly changed since then, though he preferred not to dwell on that particular memory.

A _SkyClan cat_ afraid of _heights_. The irony was disgusting.

Creekfeather still teased him about it.

 _Creekfeather._ At the thought of his littermate, Rabbitleap's mind wandered to that morning's meeting. It had been full of insults and retorts, and the phrase "mind your own business!" appeared a few times. Not that he expected anything less from Creekfeather and Nettlesplash. As soon as the ideas came to mind, Rabbitleap knew that his brothers would resent him for them. But one day, when they were both considerably more mature, they would _thank him_ for intervening in their lives.

Actually, Rabbitleap was _surprised_ that the meeting had gone _so well._ He'd expected Creekfeather to try and attack him, but his brother didn't have the time. Apparently, Sharpclaw had assigned him and Swiftleap to the dawn patrol that morning and said that if he wasn't the first cat there, then there would be _consequences_.

When the sun started to rise and Creekfeather realized that the dawn patrol would be sent out in only a few minutes, he'd practically bowled Plumwillow over as he sprinted back to camp. Of course he vowed that he would seek his revenge when he had time, so perhaps he should remain alert around his gray tabby brother.

Nettlesplash handled the news rather predictably. He growled and lashed his tail, told Rabbitleap what a hypocrite he was, then stopped in the middle of his rant and said " _You know what, forget it. You're not worth the energy this is taking."_ And that was that.

So generally speaking, Rabbitleap thought they handled his meddling rather well. And again, once they were older and able to appreciate-

The warrior stopped in his tracks. His breath hitched in his throat.

Only a few tail-lengths away stood the most gorgeous she-cat he'd ever laid eyes on.

She had a fluffy, light cream pelt with one white, dainty paw and a feathery-soft tail. A pink nose and clear, bright green eyes settled perfectly on her face. _She's stunning._

She licked her single white paw and dragged it over an ear, unaware of his presence. She didn't wear a collar; _she must have been a loner._ He thought she looked roughly about his age, maybe a bit older; she could use someone to teach her the ways of SkyClan but she wasn't going to be his perfect apprentice.

So then why did Rabbitleap feel so- so _drawn_ to her? Why did her mere presence steal his breath away?

He tried to regain control of his furiously-beating heart and steeled his nerves. _Deep breath in, deep breath out_ , and then stepped out of the shadows of a twoleg den.

"Hi."

Her head shot up and she stared at him with wide, bright green eyes. Rabbitleap mustered a diplomatic smile and hoped that he looked friendly.

"Um, my name's SkyClan warrior and I'm a Rabbitleap- no, wait! My name's Rabbitleap and I'm a-um, I'm a SkyClan cat - a warrior, actually - and I-I, um, I-" His face flushed hot with embarrassment.

Public speaking, or speaking at all really, wasn't one of his strong points.

The she-cat was stared at him in alarm as if he'd grown a second head, and it _really_ wasn't doing wonders for his rapidly depleting confidence. "Rabbitleap?" she finally echoed, brows furrowed in confusion.

The warrior nodded vigorously, relieved that she hadn't run away yet. "Y-yeah, it's short for- um…"

 _Mouse-dung, what's it short for again?!_ Oh, right.

Nothing.

 _Great StarClan, kill me now._ There was no way this could _possibly_ get any worse.

" _Gotcha_!" A voice caterwauled, and then suddenly Rabbitleap was slammed onto the ground.

The she-cat shrieked in terror and then spun around and sprinted away. Rabbitleap tried to call after her, but the object that slammed into him was still sitting atop his back, squeezing the air out of his lungs. Rabbitleap tried to turn around and see what angry kittypet or loner had caught him when he caught a glimpse of gray tabby fur.

All of a sudden realization crashed over him. He growled and shook the attacker off, then spun around to glare at him. "Creekfeather, you bird-brain!" Rabbitleap snapped. "What are you doing here?!"

Creekfeather grinned mischievously, his blue eyes alight with triumph. "I told you I would get my revenge," he crowed.

Rabbitleap lashed his tail. "Couldn't you have at least waited until I was done talking to that she-cat?" He demanded.

"Don't sound so desperate," Creekfeather chided. "Desperation isn't a good look for you. Besides," he shrugged, "then it wouldn't have been so _revenge-y_. Isn't that right, Swiftleap?"

Rabbitleap didn't even realize that Swiftleap was present until then, for he had been absolutely silent. Even now his eyes were trained on the space where the she-cat had been. His bright blue eyes were wide as he ignored Creekfeather and asked, "Who was _that_?"

The dark brown tom shot Creekfeather a hard look. "I don't know. I never got the chance to ask her name."

"Eh," Creekfeather started with a shrug, "you didn't want that she-cat as your apprentice anyway. She was too pretty; the pretty ones are always the most stuck-up."

Rabbitleap considered pointing out that Creekfeather was one of the most attractive cats in SkyClan, and therefore had just referred to himself as stuck-up. He didn't though because StarClan knows that tom didn't need the ego stroke.

Instead, he allowed his gaze to drift towards Swiftleap. "You don't know her, Swiftleap? You were a loner before you joined SkyClan, after all."

But the creamy-colored tom shook his head. "No way, I would _definitely_ remember her."

"You kind of look like her," Rabbitleap mused thoughtfully. "Same cream-colored pelt, same build. Different colored eyes and she has that white paw, but you look more like littermates than even Creekfeather and I do."

"Thank StarClan for that," Creekfeather breathed.

"Maybe you're kin somehow?" The brown tom suggested.

Swiftleap's eyes widened with horror. "You don't think we're littermates, do you? I mean, I would remember my own sister, right?" Without waiting for a response Swiftleap spun around to stare at Creekfeather. "What's SkyClan's policy concerning littermate-mates?"

"We don't support it, obviously," Creekfeather replied. "If we did then Plumwillow would be all over me."

"Ew," Rabbitleap wrinkled his nose. "I'll do you a favor and _not_ tell her you just said that. Now, seriously, what are you two doing out here? I thought Sharpclaw assigned you both to the dawn patrol?"

Creekfeather's haughty expression immediately dissolved, and he shot Swiftleap a glare. "He did, but _someone_ was late."

Swiftleap scoffed. "Creekfeather, it was _you_!"

"That isn't important right now," the gray tabby tom retorted with a dismissive flick of his tail. "Anyway, Sharpclaw promised there would be consequences. You know the pile of twoleg junk near the edge of the border?" Rabbitleap nodded, prompting Creekfeather to go on. "Well, now Swiftleap and I are in charge of removing it all."

"Removing it?" he echoed.

"We have to drag it out of the territory and dump it in the twoleg place," Swiftleap spoke up bitterly. Clearly he wasn't pleased with their task. _Well, if I were in their position I would probably feel the same way._ Fortunately, he _wasn't_ in their position and could focus on more pressing matters.

 _Speaking of more pressing matters, I better get going. Who knows how long it'll take me to stumble upon a suitable cat?_

"Well, have fun with that," Rabbitleap meowed, as he started deeper into the twoleg place.

"Where are you going?" Swiftleap called after him.

"To find my new apprentice!" He called over his shoulder. Even if Rabbitleap never saw the gorgeous she-cat again, the twoleg place was bursting with loners and kittypets.

Surely he could convince _one_ _of them_ to join SkyClan.

* * *

"So you understand your mission, right?"

Honeyflower nodded seriously. "Join a patrol with Rockshade, fall into step with him, and subtly find a way to mention you and gauge his opinion of you."

"Exactly," Plumwillow purred. "And make sure to pay attention to any of his quirks; anything that could benefit our mission in the future!"

"Right," Honeyflower nodded, stone-faced. Plumwillow raised a brow; her friend maintained that hard expression all morning.

"You know it's okay to _smile,_ right?"

Honeyflower's expression instantly morphed into one of sweet relief. "Oh, thank StarClan! I wasn't sure if smiling would make me seem unprofessional…" she trailed off sheepishly.

The dark gray she-cat grinned and shook her head affectionately. "You are _such_ a bird-brain."

"A bird-brain who's trying to help you get a mate!" Honeyflower shot back.

"True," she acknowledged with a flick of her tail. "Assuming everything goes according to plan…"

"It will," the blue-eyed she-cat meowed dismissively. "It has to; it's _your_ plan." She blinked her eyes happily. "Your plans _always_ succeed."

 _No pressure there,_ Plumwillow thought with a weak smile. It was true, her plans were typically flawless. It wasn't so much that she _expected_ something to go wrong, but the _possibility_ that something could happen still lingered in the back of her mind.

Honeyflower must have sensed the weariness because she immediately pressed against Plumwillow's side and said, "Don't worry about a thing, Plumwillow. By the time we return to camp, I'm going to make sure that Rockshade is looking at you with all the awe of a StarClan warrior!"

Plumwillow purred and rubbed her head against her friend's shoulder. "Have I ever told you that you're a literal blessing from StarClan?"

"No, but if you'd like to start saying that, I wouldn't stop you."

The she-cats shared a laugh, and she realized that her head felt a little lighter. _Honeyflower is right. What could possibly go wrong?_

* * *

After days spent analyzing Rockshade's patrol routines, Plumwillow could confidently say that he favored the sun-high hunting patrol. Of course there was always the possibility that Sharpclaw could assign him to something else, but Sharpclaw was a cat of routine, so that was a risk Plumwillow was willing to take. When the SkyClan deputy emerged from the Warriors' Den to organize the sun-high patrols, she sent Honeyflower after him.

The dark gray she-cat sat a few tail-lengths away and pretended to groom her fur, ready to leap into action if the plan began to go wayward.

"I thought you hated sun-high patrols?" Sharpclaw asked, brow raised.

"No, _Plumwillow_ hates sun-high patrols," Honeyflower corrected him, "and I always patrol with her."

It was true. Plumwillow actually hated green-leaf in general because of the scorching heat, but she held a special hatred in her heart towards _sun-high_ in green-leaf; when the sun scorched every hair on her pelt and her paws became sticky with sweat.

Whenever Sharpclaw sent out the sun-high patrols during the hot season, Plumwillow was typically in hiding. Preferably somewhere cool and shady.

Sharpclaw still seemed suspicious. "And today you're not patrolling with her… _why_?"

 _Great StarClan, Sharpclaw, why does it matter?!_

"Why does it matter?" Honeyflower echoed. "I'm her best friend, not her shadow!"

"I'm wary of anything concerning that litter," the deputy retorted. Plumwillow scoffed silently. _I could understand Creekfeather and Nettlesplash, and even Rabbitleap to a degree, but me?_

"So how about it?" Honeyflower pressed him. "Can I join the patrol?"

After a beat of silence, Sharpclaw shrugged his broad shoulders. "I guess so. You'll be with Patchfoot, Fallowfern, and Rockshade."

Plumwillow exhaled a sigh of relief. _Of course Rockshade is on the patrol. Why wouldn't he be?_ She really needed to stop doubting herself. It was exhausting.

"Perfect," Honeyflower purred. "Thanks, Sharpclaw!" The green-eyed tom mumbled some sort of response as she left to gather the rest of her patrol.

 _Everything is going according to plan,_ Plumwillow thought, as she stood to her paws and hurried somewhere far, far away from the deputy. _Now all I have to do is avoid being selected for any patrols, and wait for Honeyflower to return._

* * *

Sometimes Rabbitleap wondered if StarClan purposely set him up for failure.

The sun had begun to dip behind the mountains, and the warrior _still_ hadn't found his perfect apprentice.

Of course he'd run into a few other cats, but none of them were Clan material. Some were too old, some were too hostile, and some were too attached to their kittypet lives to survive in the wild. It took a certain kind of cat to adapt to Clan-life, a fact that Rabbitleap typically prided himself upon, but now was thoroughly frustrated by.

 _I will_ _never_ _understand how Firestar managed to find enough cats to build an entire Clan,_ he thought, exasperated. _Please StarClan, I just need one cat. Just one!_

A heavy sigh escaped his maw. "It's no use," he mumbled. "StarClan can't do everything for me. If I can't find one cat by myself, then what kind of warrior am I?"

"Maybe I can help?" A voice meowed, and immediately Rabbitleap froze. There, perched neatly upon a fence-post, was a ginger tabby she-cat. Her blue eyes were as bright as the sky in green-leaf as she continued, "You said you're looking for a cat, right? Maybe I know them?"

Rabbitleap didn't respond right away; instead he took a moment to analyze this she-cat. She looked a little younger than he was, but not by much. Her ears were pricked towards him and her tail swished amiably; she was friendly. That was an encouraging sign.

"Maybe," he ventured, carefully choosing his words. After wasting nearly a full day searching for the perfect apprentice, he wasn't going to let his lack-of-speaking-skills ruin another opportunity. "Except, I'm not searching for one, specific cat, per se… what's your name?"

His response seemed to catch the she-cat off-guard, but she replied anyway. "I'm August," she chirped.

A faint smile played across his lips. "Rabbitleap," he meowed, by way of introducing himself. The less he said, the less likely he was to confuse his words.

August tilted her head to the side. "So if you're not looking for anyone in particular, then who _are_ you looking for?" she asked.

"It's… kind of complicated," the warrior replied. "I'm from a group of cats that live in the wild: SkyClan. In SkyClan, there are warriors and apprentices. I'm a warrior, and I need an apprentice to train. So, I'm looking for a cat to come back with me and join SkyClan, and become my apprentice."

August didn't seem thrown off or confused by his explanation. If anything, she actually seemed _excited_ by it. Her blue eyes were alight with a brightness that made his hopes soar. "I've heard of SkyClan," she breathed. "Some of the loners who pass through talk about it." She regarded the warrior in awe. "You're really from there?"

Rabbitleap nodded, thrilled by her interest. "I am. I don't suppose… you would be interested in joining SkyClan, would you?"

Just as August opened her mouth to respond, a new, deeper voice cut her off. "August! Who are you talking to?"

A heartbeat later and a dark ginger tom leaped upon the fencepost. His muscles flexed beneath his pelt, and his amber eyes were dark; when they fell upon Rabbitleap they narrowed dangerously. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"Leo!" August chided the tom, giving him a hard shove. "Be polite!"

Rabbitleap smiled in a way that he hoped came across as reassuring. "It's fine," he told her, before directing his attention to the other tom. "My name is Rabbitleap. I'm a warrior of SkyClan."

"SkyClan," Leo snorted. "You mean that group of cats that Oscar talks about?"

At the mention of Oscar, the warrior's heart started to sink. Every SkyClan cat knew exactly who _Oscar_ was. The kittypet had been causing trouble for SkyClan ever since Firestar's days. He hadn't given the Clan any trouble lately, but in the past, he'd been responsible for various incidents. It was because of him that Leafstar had decided to dismiss the Daylight Warriors - permanently.

For the most part, however, Oscar was harmless. He liked to hiss at patrols whenever they passed through the twoleg place, make a few jabs, and sometimes leave garbage at the edge of our borders, but the Clan didn't pay him much attention. Now, however, he was affecting Rabbitleap's chances of getting an apprentice.

 _Still, I can't lie to these cats,_ Rabbitleap thought. He swallowed his concerns and smiled brightly. "Yep, that's us. Although I wouldn't really trust what Oscar's told you about us; he's not exactly our biggest fan."

"I think _I'll_ decide who I trust, thanks," Leo snarled. "I've known Oscar ever since I was a kit, and he's never lied to me before. And he's never lied to _you_ either, for that matter," the tom added, shooting August a sharp look.

"Well, never that I can _prove_ -"

"If Oscar says that SkyClan is just a bunch of misfits who cause trouble everywhere they go, then it's true," Leo declared, steadfast in his thoughts. He turned his blazing amber gaze towards Rabbitleap again. "So stop filling my sister's head with lies of grandeur and _beat it,_ Bunnyhop." _Bunnyhop?!_

"Actually, it's _Rabbitleap_ -"

" _Scram_!" Leo snarled. The dark ginger tom was certainly intimidating, Rabbitleap would give him that. But it took a lot more than just a bulky kittypet with a bad temper to send a full-fledged SkyClan warrior running! (Also, the fact that he had just been called " _Bunnyhop"_ gave him a surge of boldness.)

The warrior narrowed his eyes coolly and began, "Listen, if you want to cast judgment so quickly then fine, go ahead. But I think your sister should be allowed to make her own decisions. If she wants to hear more about my Clan, then-"

"No, Rabbitleap, Leo is right," August interrupted the warrior. "Oscar has never lied to us before, so what he says about SkyClan must be true. I'm sorry," she added with a touch of sympathy, "but you're just wasting your time here."

Rabbitleap's ears flattened against his head; admittedly her words stung. He really thought that August would agree to join SkyClan, or at least think it over. Flat out refusal felt like a kick to the stomach.

Leo smirked. "See? August might be a bit dense at times, but she knows when I'm right."

The light ginger she-cat shot her brother a hard glance. "Gee Leo, _thanks_." She looked back to Rabbitleap and said, "You should start back to your Clan, Rabbitleap. Twolegs like to come out around this time and play with their kits. If one of them see you-"

"They'll try to catch me," he finished for her, thinking back to when Birdflight, Honeyflower, and Sandytail had been adopted by an elderly twoleg lady for a time. "Thanks for the warning."

"No problem," August replied brightly. She studied him for a heartbeat before meowing, "Your border must be a long walk away; I know a shortcut through the Twolegplace. I could show you if you'd like?"

Surprise flickered in Rabbitleap's eyes. "That would be great, actually. I-"

"Hold on," Leo broke in with a low growl, "August, you can't be serious!"

"Come on Leo," she pleaded. "It'll only take a minute! I'll be back before the twolegs even realize I'm gone!"

"It's not the twolegs I'm concerned about," Leo replied, turning his narrowed amber gaze to Rabbitleap.

The warrior scoffed. "I would never harm an innocent cat! Especially one who's _helping me_."

Leo scowled at him a moment longer, until he grunted, "Fine, but August, you'd better be back before the sun starts to set."

The blue-eyed kittypet grinned brightly. "Trust me, I will-" the words died in her throat as her brother leaped down from the fence and started towards their twoleg nest. "Okay, see you when I get back," she mumbled to herself. Then she shook her head, as if to clear it, and was grinning at Rabbitleap once again. "Alright _Bunnyhop_ , let's get you back home."

* * *

Plumwillow's tail flicked idly from side to side as she watched Honeyflower depart from camp. She looked relaxed enough, and Rockshade was just a few steps in front of her. She would be fine, and everything would go according to plan. _I have nothing to worry about_ , Plumwillow told herself.

Currently, the she-cat was nestled amongst the branches of her favorite tree, shaded by its' wonderful green leaves. There weren't many trees in the camp because it was difficult for roots to grow in the sandstone, but there was a particular tree that had defied the impossible and sprouted roots near the river. It was also close to the Rockpile, a popular sunning spot amongst the warriors, so it was the perfect place to catch bits and pieces of gossip. It was the she-cat's favorite spot for strategizing and matchmaking.

At that moment, Ebonyclaw was lounging lazily across the rocks, her sleek black pelt gleaming in the sunlight. She had the right idea, in Plumwillow's opinion; in the heat of the day, who could stand to hunt or patrol? The only _correct_ way to spend sun-high was to relax.

"H-hi Ebonyclaw," a new voice stammered. Plumwillow lifted her head curiously. _Shrewtooth?_

She adjusted her position so that she could peer through the leaves. Her suspicions were confirmed when she caught sight of the skinny black tom. The she-cat didn't bother to mask the pleased smile that spread across her lips.

Over the past few moons, it had become increasingly obvious that Shrewtooth was smitten with Ebonyclaw. No one could blame him, really; Ebonyclaw was stunning. What with her sleek black pelt, bright green eyes that shone with intelligence, and long legs, any tom would be lucky to have her.

And Shrewtooth? Shrewtooth was a good warrior, and he'd certainly evolved from the cowardly kittypet that had first joined the Clan, but… he wasn't exactly handsome. He was skinny, his black pelt was constantly ruffled, and his brown eyes were generic. It didn't help that, even as far as he'd evolved, he was still unreasonably paranoid.

Paranoia was not an attractive trait.

It was rather unfortunate, really. Ebonyclaw was striking and intelligent, whereas Shrewtooth was skittish and boring. Still, Plumwillow was rooting for the pair. Love, after all, was a very complex emotion.

Love followed no rules. It defied stereotypes. It was unpredictable. Anyone could fall in love with anyone, and there was a certain beauty in that.

While some cats might look at Shrewtooth with pity and shake their heads, Plumwillow wasn't so sure. She liked to think he had a chance.

 _Especially_ if Ebonyclaw's bright smile was anything to go by. _Interesting._ "Hey Shrewtooth," she meowed, tail flicking idly. "What's going on?"

"Nothing much," he replied, carefully controlling his nerves. "I just got back from a border patrol."

"Oh?" the striking black she-cat mused, scooting over a bit so that her Clanmate could lay down. "Anything interesting happen?"

"Not really. I was with Creekfeather and Swiftleap-" _dear StarClan!_ "-and they basically ignored me the whole time, and whispered to each other. I think they're planning something." He flattened his ears against his head. "Or they were talking about me…"

 _Ugh, doubtful. Those two are always planning something._

"Creekfeather and Swiftleap are _always_ planning something; I wouldn't worry about it too much, Shrewtooth," Ebonyclaw meowed kindly. "I doubt they were talking about you."

"Well, that's even more concerning," he meowed dryly. "Now I'm going to be on edge until they pull another prank."

Ebonyclaw laughed, although Plumwillow suspected that Shrewtooth was dead serious.

Suddenly the branch she was lounging across gave a violent jerk, and she yelped before digging her claws into the bark. A few heartbeats later, and a gray tabby head poked through the leaves. "Oh," Sagefoot meowed, as if surprised to see another cat. "Hi Plumwillow. What're you doing up here?"

She resisted the strong urge to roll her eyes. Sagefoot was a _nice_ cat, sure. He was one of Creekfeather's friends, but something about him irritated Plumwillow. Maybe it was his unwavering grin or the fact that he was Mintfur's littermate. But most likely it was his personality: Sagefoot was the most easy-going, laid-back cat in the entire Clan. Nothing seemed to bother him, and he never took anything seriously.

When Birdflight attempted to ride a fox into camp? Sagefoot was standing guard that dawn, and he didn't bother to warn anyone because he didn't think it was a big deal.

Now, Plumwillow liked to relax just as much as the next cat, unless the next cat was _this_ cat.

So when Sagefoot asked her what she was doing in the tree, she promptly answered "leaving."

Sagefoot flicked an ear. "Already? But I just got here."

 _What a coincidence._ "Honeyflower's patrol should return at any moment," the she-cat replied, forcing a smile. "I promised I'd meet her at the entrance."

Plumwillow wasn't sure whether or not Sagefoot believed the excuse because his expression didn't change; it was still the same laid-back grin, like he hadn't a care in the world. "Oh," he started, not sounding very put off. "Well, I guess you'd better be on your way then. I saw the patrol nearing camp on my way over here."

Her heart seemed to beat a little faster. _They're back already?_

Plumwillow ducked her head in order to conceal her nerves. "See you around, Sagefoot."

"Sure," he meowed, as she began climbing down the tree. "Maybe next time we'll have some time to actually chat."

Her smile didn't waver. "Maybe." _But not if I'm lucky._

* * *

"So only apprentices take care of the elders?" August wondered aloud. "That sounds like a lot of work for just a few young cats."

"Well, warriors pitch in if they ever need to. But there usually aren't very many elders at once, and the apprentices typically outnumber them anyway," he explained. "Besides, the elders aren't helpless. They can still move around by themselves. Apprentices are really just responsible for picking their fleas and ticks, and occasionally bringing them fresh-kill."

"Picking fleas and ticks?!" August cried, nose wrinkled with disgust. "How gross!"

"It's not _that_ bad," he purred, whiskers twitching in amusement. "It depends on the elder, honestly. The more easy-going, friendly elders will tell you stories while you work. It's the grumpy ones you have to be careful around." Rabbitleap didn't mention that SkyClan only had one elder, Tangle, and he was one of the grumpiest cats to ever live.

August didn't seem convinced, although she did mumble, "Well, I do _like_ stories…"

Rabbitleap shot her a side-glance. "For someone who supposedly isn't interested in joining SkyClan, you sure do have a lot of questions."

The light ginger tabby blinked, puzzled, before realization dawned in her sky-blue eyes. "Oh! You mean because of what I said back at the fence!" She smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry about that, actually. I only said it because I knew Leo wanted me to."

Hope flared dangerously his my chest. "Then, does that mean-?"

But August drenched that flare almost as soon as it was sparked. She shook her head and meowed, "I can't join your Clan, Rabbitleap. Not because of anything Oscar said - I've never really liked him anyway - but because I could never leave Leo. Even if he isn't from my litter, we're kin."

The warrior huffed. "And I suppose it doesn't matter that he treats you like you're a complete mouse-brain?"

She sighed. "Leo isn't always like that, I promise. He just likes to show off in front of others, and if it means belittling me a bit…" she shrugged. "It used to hurt my feelings, but I'm used to it now."

"That doesn't make it okay; actually, I think that's _worse_."

"Leo cares about me, he just has a hard time expressing it. But I know he does; and beside, as I said, we're kin." She looked at the tom. "Do you have any littermates?"

"Three," he replied, a bit dryly.

"Then you understand what it's like to share that kind of bond with someone," she pressed. "Leo has been there ever since I was born; I can't imagine my life without him! Could you leave your littermates for a strange future you've only ever heard stories about?"

 _No. No, I couldn't._ As much as Plumwillow, Creekfeather, and Nettlesplash grounded on his nerves, he couldn't imagine a life without them.

Rabbitleap didn't have many friends. Dedicating himself to one day becoming Clan leader didn't leave much time for making them. But his littermates had been his best friends ever since they were kits. He could never - _would never_ \- leave them behind.

August must have taken his silence as an answer, because she smiled gently and said, "I thought that would help you understand." She returned her attention to the path before them. "SkyClan sounds incredible. It sounds exciting and I would love to live amongst so many different cats. If I didn't have Leo holding me back then I would become your apprentice without a second thought, _however_ …"

"I understand," he meowed. "I'm asking a lot, and I know that. I just… I really thought you would be the one."

"Sorry to disappoint you," August replied, sounding genuinely apologetic. "If it means anything, I'll pass the word along that SkyClan is looking for new recruits? I know a tom who's getting kinda bored with being a kittypet; maybe he would be interested?"

"It's worth a shot," he agreed. They padded on in companionable silence after that, as if August were a Clanmate he'd known his entire life. The thought only served to further disappoint him. _She would have been perfect…_

By the time they reached the border, there was still plenty of time until sun-down. August would have no trouble making it back to her twoleg den. Rabbitleap turned to face the light ginger she-cat and mustered a friendly smile, though it felt forced; his paw pads ached after walking through the twoleg place, a painful reminder that he wasted an entire day. _Mintfur probably spent the day showing Firepaw around the territory or doing something else_ _productive._

Rabbitleap shoved the thought out of his head and meowed, "Some shortcut of yours; thanks for coming with me."

August returned his forced smile with her own, brighter version. "No problem! The twoleg dens can be hard to navigate if you don't know where you're going." Her gaze drifted to the land behind him: SkyClan territory. "I wish I were going with you," she confessed softly. "To become apart of something so much bigger than yourself…" she trailed off wistfully.

"It's not too late to change your mind and come with me," the warrior suggested, unable to keep the hope out of his voice.

Still, he wasn't surprised when the kittypet shook her head. "I know, but… _Leo_ …"

"I get it," he interrupted her. "I wish I didn't, but I do." He cracked a grin. " _Littermates_. They drive you insane, but you wouldn't know what to do without them."

August smiled. "Exactly. Good luck finding an apprentice, Rabbitleap. I know you'll make an excellent mentor."

He dipped his head. "May StarClan light your path, August."

The she-cat grinned. "You too, _Bunnyhop_." And then, before he could breathe a word, August spun around and raced back through the twoleg place.

Rabbitleap scowled after her before finally shaking his head, turning around, and crossing into SkyClan territory once again.

* * *

Plumwillow thought her heart was about to explode out of her chest as she raced down the sandstone path. Inwardly, the she-cat knew that she was overexaggerating but… this patrol was the action that would kick her plan into motion. Honeyflower would subtly weigh Rockshade's opinion of her, and the rest of the plan would revolve around that opinion.

 _What if he thinks I'm a complete and utter bird-brain? Then I'll have to work hard to impress him and prove him wrong!_

 _What if he thinks I'm a capable warrior? Then I wouldn't have to fight so hard to befriend him._

 _What if… what if he already has feelings for me?_

Her heart started to beat even faster at the notion. _StarClan, I'm hopeless bird-brain! But I'm a bird-brain in love,_ she reminded herself. Somehow, the fact that she was in love excused her desperation; less humiliating and more _romantic._

Honeyflower was waiting for her by the entrance, as they had discussed. Plumwillow skid to a halt right in front of her and then asked, "So? How did it-"

"He hates you."

Her furiously-beating heart screeched to a halt.

"I-I," Plumwillow stammered intelligently. "I-... _what_?"

 _Well, I'm done._ Even as she felt her heart splitting inside her chest, she was erasing her entire life's plan and rewriting it. She wanted to wail when she realized that it looked a lot like Nettlesplash's probable-future.

Then Honeyflower's face lit up and she purred, "Gotcha! You should see the look on your face, it's _amazing_!"

And just like that, everything was fine again. She was irritated and fighting off a heart attack, but fine.

"Do you think you're funny?" The she-cat demanded. "Because you're not."

Honeyflower pouted. "You sound like Nettlesplash."

"Well you sound like Sagefoot."

"Sagefoot _?_ "

"Yeah, with the whole 'gotcha' and the purr and the way you're taking amusement in my despair-" Plumwillow shook her head. "Ugh, I just got done talking to him and-"

"You know, Sagefoot's pretty handsome," Honeyflower thought aloud. "Not as handsome as Creekfeather, but maybe Swiftleap…"

"Nevermind that," Plumwillow meowed sternly, choosing to ignore the remark about her brother. "So if Rockshade doesn't hate me, then how _does_ he feel about me?"

The light gray she-cat shook her head, as if shaking off thoughts of Creekfeather ( _eww!_ ), before smiling again. "All good things, don't worry. He's not already in love with you as we hoped, but he respects you as a warrior."

Plumwillow exhaled a long breath, partly from relief that Rockshade didn't hate her after all. "That's about what I expected," she admitted. "It would have made things much easier if he was already in love with me, but from a realistic standpoint, that was just wishful dreaming on my part."

"At least you won't have to rearrange your plan," Honeyflower pointed out. She nodded.

"That's another upside. How did the patrol go overall?"

"Great, actually," the blue-eyed she-cat remarked. "Prey was warming themselves in the sun so it wasn't a difficult hunt. It helped that Patchfoot, Fallowfern, and Rockshade are all easy to get along with. The patrol was actually kinda _fun_."

Plumwillow snorted. "I don't believe it's possible for a sun-high patrol to be fun. Anyway, I don't suppose you picked up on anything that would benefit the plan?"

Honeyflower tilted her head to the side for a few moments, and then she meowed, "You know, there might actually be something. I don't think that Rockshade is an amazing tree-hunter. He's certainly not a bad hunter by any means, but he doesn't seem to love hunting in trees… I think his bulk might weigh him down-"

"His _muscle_ -"

"- _but_ ," she continued, "I watched him kill a mouse with ease. And haven't you mentioned before that you'd like to work on hunting ground-prey?"

Plumwillow's face lit up. "Honeyflower, that's perfect! I could ask Rockshade to give me some tips on ground-hunting, and maybe I could help him with his tree-hunting. We could bond over it!" She nudged Honeyflower's shoulder. "You're a genius!"

The light gray she-cat purred. "I try," she meowed brightly. "So, when are you going to talk to him about it?"

Plumwillow thought about it for a few heartbeats and then replied, "Tomorrow, after the dawn patrols are sent out. I don't want to do it now and risk seeming suspicious."

"I can keep joining sun-high patrols if that helps," Honeyflower offered hopefully. "I really enjoyed today, and it'll help me further analyze Rockshade."

The dark gray she-cat rolled her eyes. "I can't imagine how anyone could enjoy such a thing, but be my guest. Anything that could benefit the plan is appreciated."

"I feel like this plan consumes our lives," Honeyflower teased. "It's all we've talked about for nearly a moon!"

"It's a bit weird putting it into motion," Plumwillow agreed. "I've had a crush on Rockshade ever since I was an apprentice, but now I'm actually _doing_ something about it and-" she smiled softly, "it feels good. Like I'm not just sitting around thinking about it anymore, I'm finally-" she stopped as a figure entered her vision, just a few lengths out. "You look awfully defeated," she remarked.

Rabbitleap shrugged. "That's probably because I feel defeated."

As Rabbitleap settled down in front of her, Honeyflower whispered that she was going to go find Tinycloud. Plumwillow flicked her tail in acknowledgment but otherwise was completely focused on her littermate. A frown tugged at her lips. "Didn't find your new apprentice at the Twolegplace, huh?"

Rabbitleap blew out a frustrated breath. "Nope. I met a she-cat who I thought would make the perfect apprentice, but she doesn't want to abandon her littermate."

"That's understandable, isn't it?"

"Unfortunately," Rabbitleap mumbled. "I talked to a few other cats as well, but none of them were Clan-material, you know? They just wouldn't be able to handle our lifestyle, or they wouldn't want to commit to it." He groaned. "I'll never understand how Firestar found enough cats to piece a forgotten Clan together!"

"He had StarClan guiding him," Plumwillow pointed out. "Rabbitleap… I know how badly you want to be a mentor, but maybe it just isn't your time?"

She hated the expression of defeat that flashed across her littermate's face. "But I don't understand why it _wouldn't_ be my time. It's not like cats are destined to mentor certain apprentices, right? That's all up to Leafstar. And if she would give Mintfur an apprentice then why wouldn't she give me one?"

"Are you _still_ whimpering over that?"

Their heads immediately shot up, and Plumwillow barely concealed a groan when she saw Mintfur. Added insult to injury, Firepaw was with her, and Plumwillow was sure the sight wasn't helping Rabbitleap at all.

Rabbitleap frowned. "Not now, Mintfur. I don't have the patience to deal with you."

"Understandable," the gray tabby she-cat shrugged. "You've never had the most patience anyway; maybe _that's_ why Leafstar hasn't given you an apprentice?"

"He has more patience than you," Plumwillow shot back. Honestly, though, that wasn't much to brag about. Mintfur's patience was practically nonexistent. The only other cats who _might_ have even less than her were Nettlesplash or Sharpclaw.

"And yet," Mintfur began, flourishing her tail towards Firepaw, "here we are."

Firepaw almost looked _smug_ as she asked, "Mintfur, can I go meet up with Stormpaw now? We want to share a blackbird together!"

Mintfur nodded. "Sure. I'll talk to you tonight about what we'll be doing tomorrow. It's going to be a long day." She flashed Rabbitleap a smirk as her apprentice dashed off. "Teaching the basics takes time."

"If it takes you time to teach the basics, then you're a rubbish mentor," Rabbitleap meowed dryly. "They're called _the basics_ for a reason."

"Not like you would know! You've never been a mentor!"

"But I've been an apprentice, and I remember-"

"A lot I'm sure," Mintfur interrupted him, "considering you've only been a warrior for two moons." Her forest green eyes hardened. "Honestly Rabbitleap, are you really so bird-brained that you seriously thought Leafstar would let you mentor one of her daughters after only two moons of being a warrior?"

"Stop acting like you're so much older," he hissed. "You've been a warrior for five moons! You're only three moons older than me, whereas most warriors wait _seasons_ until they receive their first apprentice!"

"I've got more experience than you," she countered. "I helped frighten Shrewtooth's old abusive twoleg; I fought in the battle with Dodge and his gang when I was a young apprentice." She tilted her head, mockingly. "Did you ever do anything notable during your apprenticeship? Other than establishing yourself as the first SkyClan apprentice to be _afraid of heights_ , that is…"

Finally, Plumwillow snapped, "That's enough! Don't you have more important things to do than taunt a Clanmate?"

Mintfur narrowed her eyes. "You littermates, you're all so _annoying._ Look a little further past your own muzzle why don't you, Plumwillow? Your poor, poor Rabbitleap taunts me right back!"

"Because you provoke him!" she retorted. "You always attack him first, of course he's going to defend himself!"

"Whatever," Mintfur snorted, as if that settled the matter. "I have more important ways to spend my time than argue with _you two_." Then she spun around and stormed towards camp, tail raised like she'd won a battle.

"Arrogant furball," Plumwillow growled lowly. "I can't believe that she's Sagefoot's littermate! She's the complete opposite of him!" But then again, Plumwillow _did_ consider the duo to be the most irritating cats in SkyClan. Maybe it wasn't such a disbelief after all…

The she-cat realized that Rabbitleap had fallen silent, and when she turned around to look at him, her heart sank. He was glaring at the ground, amber eyes dark. Suddenly the desire to shove Mintfur off a cliff was a very compelling one.

"Don't listen to her, Rabbitleap," she meowed, even though she knew the effort was fruitless. Rabbitleap wasn't the type of cat one could just cheer up; he had to work out his problems by himself and drag himself out of his own slumps. He was stubbornly independent in that way.

"But she's right," he meowed, voice bitter. "What exactly have I accomplished? Nothing notable."

"You've done plenty of notable things!" Plumwillow protested. "What about when Sandytail stumbled and sprained his leg, and you carried him back to camp?"

"Anyone could have done that."

"But _you_ did," she argued.

Rabbitleap shook his head, unconvinced. "I appreciate the support, Plumwillow, but Mintfur is right. She has more experience than I do." He exhaled, his sigh long and heavy. "It makes perfect sense, actually. I've been looking at it the wrong way; I thought that Mintfur and I were equals because she hasn't been a warrior for much longer than me, but I forgot that experience matters more than almost anything else. She's participated in raids and battles, and I haven't."

"You haven't had the chance," his sister reminded him. "Nothing so urgent has happened since we were made apprentices."

He shrugged. "The point still stands."

Plumwillow huffed, frustrated. Rabbitleap must have sensed her growing irritation because he licked her shoulder. "Don't worry about me, Plumwillow. I'm fine. Really." His features contorted into one of thought. "I just need more warrior experience…" His eyes flickered. "I don't suppose you have any bright ideas?"

She shook my head. "None that immediately come to mind, no. The kind of experience you're looking for comes by luck."

Rabbitleap sighed. "I could use a bit of luck," he remarked.

She snorted, "Couldn't we all."

* * *

"Come _on_. StarClan, you're so slow!"

Swiftleap huffed. "It's not my fault! My paws are so sore I think they're about to fall off!" He groaned as he picked up his pace. "Sharpclaw is enjoying our punishment, I know he is."

Creekfeather had to agree. The SkyClan deputy had really taken their punishment to heart, assigning the duo task after task _after task_. It started with dumping all the twoleg junk on the other side of the border, and now that it was nearly sun-down they were patrolling the southern border all by themselves.

However, Creekfeather considered _this_ task to be a blessing in disguise. It gave him the perfect opportunity to show Swiftleap his surprise.

"Alright," Creekfeather began dramatically, as they approached the tall grasses. "I present to you my most prized possession, the thing that will catapult us to immortal glory… _ta-da_!" he exclaimed, as he stepped to the side to display-

"The beehive?" Swiftleap asked, confused. "The one me, you, and Birdflight were going to drop on Mintfur? But I… I thought we dropped that when we were running from Sharpclaw!"

"We did," Creekfeather confirmed. "But I made sure to drop it in this tall grass so it didn't burst." He grinned, unable to contain his enthusiasm. "Don't you realize what this means? We have another chance to drop it on Mintfur and get back at her for all those times she's insulted us!"

Uncertainty flared in Swiftleap's pale blue eyes. "When are we ever going to have the time?" he asked. "When Sharpclaw isn't ordering us around, he's watching us like a hawk!"

"You're right," the gray tabby hummed, mind racing. "We'll have to set up some kind of distraction… but I think I have the perfect idea. That is," he suddenly added, "if you're up to it."

Creekfeather had always been more reckless than his friend; Swiftleap was more hesitant to cause trouble. Sharpclaw had been his mentor, and the desire to not let him down still existed. However, there was a reason the two were partners-in-crime.

Swiftleap met his gaze, blue eyes gleaming with curiosity and anticipation. "Well, it _is_ for a noble cause, after all… what's your idea?"

* * *

 **Question of the Day**

 **We actually met a few important characters in this chapter: the beautiful unnamed she-cat, August, and Sagefoot! What are your thoughts on them?**

 **#I can't give anything away, but out of the three, I think Sagefoot is going to be my favorite :)**

* * *

 **Once I got into a grove this chapter was a lot of fun to write. I actually meant to include a few more scenes, like a confrontation with Oscar and a conversation with Nettlesplash, but this chapter already exceeds 7k words, so... Anyway, I loved writing "Bunnyhop" scenes in the twoleg place; Rabbitleap is the easiest of the four to write for, which is probably why he's featured so often. Plumwillow is the most difficult, but once I settled into a rhythm she became more cooperative.**

 **A final note, I have a new poll on my profile that I would love for you to vote on! Thanks!**

 **Reviews are the best motivation! And they make me super happy! Yay!**

* * *

 **Revision Date: 3/10/19**


	5. Operation: Mintfur is a Fox-Heart

**Disclaimer: I, KatieK101, do not own Warriors. If I did then SkyClan would've had their own freakin' arc, like, two years ago. Furthermore, this fic should not be considered canon past the events of 'SkyClan and the Stranger'.**

 **Special thanks to** **InkblotLeaf** **for creating this beautiful cover art! You're a gem!**

* * *

 **Chapter Five - Operation: Mintfur is a Fox-Heart**

* * *

No one would believe it unless they saw it with their own eyes, but Nettlesplash was actually used to waking up early. Ever since they were given their warrior names, Rabbitleap insisted on conducting a littermate meeting every single morning, and the consequences for skipping a meeting were dire (just ask Plumwillow).

Nettlesplash was used to waking up just before the dawn patrols were set out, when the sun had already starting rising in the sky and the silverpelt had long since faded.

But apparently, he still woke up too late for Birdflight's tastes.

" _Wake up_!" she whispered in his ear, for what must've been the hundredth time. "If we don't leave now then it's going to be too late!"

" _Leave me alone_!" He hissed furiously. The pale brown tom clenched his eyes shut and refused to open them. "It's too early to deal with your insanity!" It was too early to deal with _anything_ , for that matter!

He heard Birdflight huff in frustration. "You're supposed to shadow me now, remember? I can't go anywhere without you or else Leafstar will confine me to camp!"

"It's still dark outside; no one would even notice if you snuck out without me!"

"It's not worth it," the black she-cat declared. "Now come with me, or else-or else you'll regret it!"

Nettlesplash couldn't help but snort dryly. _What, she's_ _threatening_ _me now?_ That sort of behavior wasn't going to get her very far with him, and to prove it he rolled over and made a point to begin snoring. He could practically _hear_ Birdflight fuming behind him, and it made him smirk to himself. _Take that, you pesky-_

All of a sudden his nest began to dissolve from beneath him! Nettlesplash jumped to his paws and spun around, only to see Birdflight shredding his bedding with her claws!

"You bird-brain!" He snarled. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm forcing you to get up," she retorted, lifting her chin in defiance. "If you don't come with me right now, you won't have a nest to come back to!"

"Why _**you**_ -"

" _Shhhhhh_!" a warrior hissed venomously.

" _Some of us_ are trying to _sleep_!" another one huffed.

Nettlesplash glared into the general darkness, unable to identify the speakers. Birdflight cringed as if she'd forgotten that they shared a den with their fellow warriors. "Sorry Billystorm, sorry Ebonyclaw," she muttered. Then she turned to look at him again, and the stubborn determination that gleamed in her dark blue eyes made him groan. "Are you coming with me or not?" she demanded, quieter this time.

"Do I have a choice?"

In an instant, her entire exterior changed. The tension coiled in her shoulders seemed to melt away, her tail flicked happily, and her blue eyes brightened; she already knew she won. "Not really," she chirped.

The tom inhaled a breath, then let it _hiss_ between clenched teeth. " _Fine._ But since _you've made me miserable_ , I'm going to make _you miserable_."

"Fine by me," Birdflight replied with a shrug. "I was expecting that, anyway."

"Get out of the den!" another voice snapped, clearly irritated.

Nettlesplash spun around, ready to rip into whoever had spoken this time, but Birdfight was already shoving him out of the den. "Sorry Mintfur," she called behind herself.

* * *

Nettlesplash couldn't fathom why any cat would want to be awake at this StarClan-forsaken hour. The silverpelt was slowly fading into the morning, but the warrior could still pick out the stars and how they shined mockingly. The moon hung loosely in the sky, full and luminous only a few days ago, but now it was shrinking into a claw.

It was dark. It was dark and it was early and Nettlesplash _still_ didn't know why they were awake so early!

He'd asked the insane she-cat, of course, but she refused to reveal anything. "You'll see when we get there," she promised.

They walked for what felt like forever. Nettlesplash grumbled and complained as much as he could, but Birdflight either blocked the tom out or was doing an exceptional job at masking her annoyance. He stopped complaining so much when it didn't seem to affect her; it was too early to be so irritable, anyway.

Birdflight stopped when they reached the edge of a cliff. Nettlesplash stopped a safe distance behind her and frowned, puzzled. _Did she drag me to a dead-end?_

The black she-cat glanced backward and grinned at him. "What?" she teased. "Are you scared I'm going to shove you over?"

"The thought hadn't crossed my mind," he lied. "Why did you insist on coming here so early, anyway? What couldn't _possibly_ wait until morning?"

Her grin faded into a soft smile. "The sunrise, of course!"

He raised a brow. "Excuse me."

She nodded, then gestured for him to sit beside her; he begrudgingly complied. "I love watching the sunrise," Birdflight admitted softly. "The view is breathtaking and it makes me feel more connected to… well, everything, y'know?" she purred. "It reminds me of the potential that every single day promises."

Nettlesplash didn't know how to respond. Instinct told him to mock Birdflight for her dreamy outlook on a _sunrise_ , of all things, but something stopped him. She sounded so… so _genuine_ ; like she truly believed every word she said.

And she sounded unashamed. _I mock this she-cat for every single step she takes, she had to know that this wouldn't be any different,_ he thought to himself. And yet here she was, opening up to him and spilling her heart and-... and he didn't know how to react to that.

Cats didn't usually open up to him.

So Nettlesplash didn't say anything at all. He just sat there and let silence fall over them. If Birdflight minded at all then she masked it well; she wasn't even looking at him. Her dark blue eyes were transfixed on the sky and how the sun began to peek over the treetops, and all the _promise_ it brought with it.

As the sky began to come alive with colors, pinks and oranges and swirly purples, he heard Birdflight murmur, "This is always going to amaze me." She shot him a warm smile. "Thank you for coming with me."

He didn't quite know what to say to that, either.

* * *

Rabbitleap paced the clearing as he waited for Nettlesplash to arrive for their meeting. "Where _is_ he?" the brown warrior asked aloud for the hundredth time.

"If we knew where he was, we would have told you by now," Plumwillow meowed dryly.

He shot her an unamused look. "I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to myself."

"Isn't that one of the first signs of insanity?" Creekfeather wondered aloud. "Or is that cannibalism?"

Plumwillow moved away from her brother.

"No, it _isn't_ a sign of insanity (or cannibalism); talking to oneself is a great way to organize your thoughts and-"

"You know what," Creekfeather interrupted him, "I just remembered I don't actually care. Sorry."

Plumwillow snorted.

Rabbitleap rolled his eyes and continued pacing. "Where _is he_?" he murmured again. "Nettlesplash knows that skipping a morning meeting has consequences! Why would he risk it all of a sudden?"

"Whatever the reason, I'm sure it isn't worth it," his sister meowed. "I remember the last time _I_ skipped a meeting," she was glaring at him now. "I recall that the "consequences" involved eating a mouthful of crowfood!"

"You deserved that," Rabbitlap responded immediately. "You skipped the meeting because you would've rather patrolled with Rockshade instead."

Creekfeather looked at their dark gray littermate. "By the way, I've been meaning to talk to you about Rockshade. I think you can do better."

"No, Creekfeather, I will not seduce Sharpclaw so that he'll let go of your punishment."

"That's not what I-..." he trailed off, defeated. "Nevermind."

Rabbitleap snorted. "Creekfeather, that's a terrible thought! Not only is Sharpclaw your Clanmate and the father of Cherrytail's kits, but he's your deputy as well! Just accept your punishment with grace."

His brother shot him a glare. "I wouldn't _be_ punished if _someone_ didn't insist on meddling!"

Rabbitleap shrugged. "I have no regrets."

"Not _yet_ ," Creekfeather muttered darkly.

"Can we just go ahead and start the meeting without Nettlesplash?" Plumwillow interjected.

"I have _plans_ ," she reminded her brothers, her words edged with a warning.

Creekfeather perked his ears. "Do they involve Rockshade, because I overheard that Sharpclaw and Cherrytail are having problems and-"

" _Creekfeather_!" Rabbitleap and Plumwillow snapped.

The gray tabby flattened his ears and grumbled bitterly underneath his breath.

Rabbitleap sighed, frustrated, and relented. " _Finee_ , we can proceed without Nettlesplash." He straightened his posture and began, "as the eldest littermate, I'll start the meeting off. My venture into the Twolegplace was… interesting, but I still haven't found a cat willing to become my apprentice yet. Either I'll have to wait until Cherrytail's kits are six moons old-"

"-you mean the normal way?" Creekfeather asked dryly.

"-or I'll have to continue my search," he finished. He looked to Plumwillow and asked, "you're the resident strategist, so what do you recommend?"

Her dark green eyes narrowed thoughtfully, the way they did when she was mapping out a plan. Inwardly Rabbitleap wished he shared her strategic minset; Plumwillow always had a plan for any situation, and then she had three back up plans "just in case".

Really, Rabbitleap thought she would make a brilliant warrior if she focused on her duties half as much as she mooned over Rockshade, but he figured now wouldn't be the best time to make that point.

"I don't think you need to visit the Twolegplace again," she finally concluded, and her response made him screw frown in irritation. "Don't look at me like that Rabbitleap, you asked for my opinion. Even if SkyClan has a history of taking in strays, we're trying to evolve - it simply isn't _Clan-like_." She shrugged and continued, "Leafstar would never turn away a cat who was genuinely interested in our lifestyle, but you put a lot of misconceptions into a cat's head when you're _trying to convince_ them to join the Clan."

"How do you think Firestar rebuilt SkyClan?" The brown tom demanded.

"That was different," Plumwillow reasoned. "He was led of StarClan. You just want an apprentice so that you're on the same level as Mintfur, and you're certainly not being led of StarClan, are you?"

"But-"

" _Are you_?" she interrupted him, voice firm.

Rabbitleap huffed. "Leafstar and Sharpclaw know that I've been venturing into the Twolegplace and _they_ don't have a problem with it."

"That's because they think you're going to fail," Creekfeather meowed, tail flicking idly.

Rabbitleap spun around to stare at him. " _What_?"

Plumwillow shot their littermate a nasty glare, and that only furthered confirmed his statement. Now the center of attention, Creekfeather seemed to realize he made a mistake but it was too late to play it off now. He had the decency to at least look regretful as he admitted, "I overheard them discussing it yesterday when Swiftleap and I were picking Tangle's ticks. They're okay with you going and talking to the kittypets because they don't think you'll actually be able to convince any of them to become your apprentice."

Well. That was a blow to his pride.

 _My own Clan leader and deputy - the two cats I respect more than anyone else - don't have a lick of faith in me. They didn't think I was ready to mentor my own apprentice, and they don't think I can persuade a kittypet to join SkyClan._

Sharpclaw was his mentor; _he trained me!_ _And yet he_ _still_ _doesn't think I'm capable..._

Then what _did they_ think of him? That he was a lackluster warrior with no chance at ever becoming deputy? That he couldn't keep my own littermates in line, so how could he ever keep an apprentice in line? That he was still the same, bird-brained apprentice who was afraid of heights?

"Rabbitleap," Plumwillow murmured, brushing up beside him. "Are you-"

"Meeting dismissed," Rabbitleap meowed abruptly, voice flat. "Go on and do whatever you had planned."

"What about Nettlesplash?" Creekfeather spoke up. "We're supposed to punish him, aren't we?"

Rabbitleap shook his head. "I'll think of something later. Right now I just…" _need to rethink my whole entire life_ "need to organize my thoughts. I'll catch up with you guys later."

He shook off Plumwillow's concerned touch and Creekfeather's guilty gaze and hooked his claws into the tree trunk, then started hauling himself out of the meeting area.

Rabbitleap knew his littermates wanted to comfort him, but they also knew him well enough to know that he simply wouldn't respond to them right now. He needed to be alone and sort through his thoughts.

 _Leafstar and Sharpclaw don't think much of me, evidently_. They didn't think he could handle his own apprentice, but they were wrong. They were wrong wrong _wrong_ , and Rabbitleap would prove it to them, he just-

He just didn't know how to.

* * *

Swiftleap shook his head. "Creekfeather, you're a bird-brain."

"It slipped!" Creekfeather protested, his pelt still prickling with guilt. "I wasn't thinking!"

"Wow. Creekfeather wasn't thinking. What a shocker."

He glared at his friend as they followed the river. "You're a horrible friend, you know that?"

"You're a horrible littermate, you know that?" Swiftleap mimicked him, sticking his nose in the air and prancing like a snooty kittypet (he actually did a very credible Oscar impression).

The gray tom huffed. "I don't even know why we're still friends, you're nothing but an unsupportive fox-heart!"

A grin tugged at Swiftleap's lips, and he nudged his shoulder playfully. "Because no one else could tolerate you or your antics."

Creekfeather pointedly ignored him.

"... and because no one could tolerate me, either."

"Apology accepted."

The duo talked back and forth after that, just chatting to fill the silence. They were following the river that ran through camp out of the gorge, per Sharpclaw's orders. He wanted them to remark the border by the Twolegplace, and they agreed without hesitance. The beehive was stashed in a cluster of bushes along the way, and they would have to drag it back to camp before sun-down.

Creekfeather glanced around occasionally, searching for a particularly dark brown pelt. He didn't think Rabbitleap would return to the Twolegplace anytime soon, but that cat was the most stubborn out of all of them, even if he would never admit it.

Creekfeather didn't process guilt very well. The concept was almost foreign to him - for StarClan's sake, he was plotting to drop a beehive on top of Mintfur as a prank! Evidently his conscious had a habit of calling in sick, but apparently, it decided to show up for work today.

 _Maybe he'll feel better after we drop the hive on Mintfur,_ Creekfeather thought hopefully. _She's his arch-rival, after all, and he's always rambling on about how he needs to be even with her. Well, she won't be able to train that apprentice very well if she's covered in stings!_

… why did _that_ thought leave him with an uncomfortable stirring in the pit of his stomach?

Maybe he wasn't dealing with guilt or a newfound conscious. Maybe he just ate some bad fresh-kill and was starting to feel its' effects.

 _Yeah, that's what we'll go with._

The two toms hastily remarked the border, then turned tail and darted towards their precious hive. It was masterfully concealed in a cluster of bushes, with dead leaves and grass settled on top of it for good measure. The bees were buzzing softly, seemingly relaxed, thank StarClan.

"Come on," Creekfeather meowed, gripping a branch in his jaws and carefully lifting the hive up. "We need to get it back to camp before Sharpclaw starts to question why we're taking so long."

* * *

Whatever sick emotion had sunk its claws into Nettlesplash earlier was long, long gone.

The tom had been glued to Birdflight's hip ever since he was forced awake that morning, and while the shared sunrise might have brought upon some weird sense of companionship, now he was barely resisting the urge to claw his own ears off.

 _Great StarClan, does she_ _ever_ _stop talking?!_

"So I should probably explain my daily routine, right?"

"Please don't."

The black she-cat ignored him. "So every morning, I wake up early enough to come watch the sunrise because-"

"Because it makes you feel connected to nature and reminds you of some weird promise," Nettlesplash finished dryly. "Yeah, I got that."

Birdflight shot the tom an annoyed glance, and he would be lying if he said it didn't send a rush of satisfaction through his body. "That's not how I worded it, but sure. Anyway, after that I spend most of my day avoiding Sharpclaw so that he can't assign me to patrols-" well, maybe they did have something in common after all, "-so that I can explore the territory all day instead." Nevermind. He avoided Sharpclaw and the patrols so that he could sleep and avoid social interaction.

"Why would you want to explore the territory?" Nettlesplash asked, incredulous. "It's just a gorge, and outside of the gorge is a forest. What could _possibly_ be so fascinating about that?"

Birdflight shook her head like she pitied him, and now he was barely resisting the urge to claw _her ears_ off. "You just don't understand, Nettlesplash. The world is so huge and so amazing, and there's so much to see and explore! I could walk forever and still not be able to see everything."

She was delusional. The world was just a bunch of gorge and forest. There were a few rivers, a lot of Twolegplaces, and way too many dangers to make any sort of adventure seem exciting.

"You're delusional," Nettlesplash meowed, voice firm.

"You're uninspired," she retorted, unbothered. "It's not my fault that your outlook on everything is dull and boring."

He opened his jaws, a stinging response on the tip of his tongue, when Birdflight suddenly exclaimed, "wait, do you see _that_?"

Nettlesplash followed her gaze upwards and spotted a nest settled in the branches of a leafy tree. "Oh wow, a birdnest. I've never seen one of those before." It wasn't like they were SkyClan warriors and their main prey was feathered animals or anything like that.

The blue-eyed she-cat shot him another glare, and it was becoming clear that he was testing her patience. "It's not just any nest, mind you. It's much too big; it's a _hawk's nest._ " The mention of a hawk sent a shiver down his spine.

Hawks were large and imposing birds. Their razor-sharp talons made them dangerous, so dangerous that warriors were forbidden from hunting them unless they were on patrol.

Sometimes hawks flew over the gorge, and warriors were responsible for guarding the Nursery and Apprentice Den. Nettlesplash had yet to see it happen, but Tangle told stories of hawks swooping out of the air and picking up small cats and carrying them away.

SkyClan warriors were trained to fight off a hawk if it swooped, but there was an unspoken rule that you should never bother a hawk if you could help it.

So then, he had to wonder, _why in StarClan's name was Birdflight climbing that tree_?!

"What are you doing?" Nettlesplash hissed at her. "Come down from there!"

"I just want to look at the nest," the _insane_ she-cat replied, _still climbing_! "Their nests are supposed to be _huge_!"

"So are their talons!" he snapped.

Birdflight stopped climbing long enough to look down at him and jeer, "don't tell me you're _scared_ of prey."

He glared back up at her. "I'm not _scared_ , I just have a healthy sense of self-preservation."

"What's that?"

"Exactly."

Birdflight rolled her eyes. "Look, I just wanna peek at it for a few seconds and then I'll come down. Besides, the nest is empty! Now come on!"

Nettlesplash scoffed. "No thank you, I quite enjoy _living_."

There is was again, that _stupid_ look of _pity_. "Nettlesplash, I don't think you've ever _lived_ before a day of your life." Then she was climbing again, leaving him to fume indignantly on the ground.

 _She doesn't know me,_ he thought venomously. _She may think she does, but she doesn't know anything! I've lived, I've done exciting things! There's a difference between bold and bird-brained._

And yet, every venomous thought pushed him to start climbing that tree.

He caught up to her quickly. The she-cat was tiptoeing expertly across the branch when he reached it, and he followed her. If Birdflight was surprised by his sudden interest in the nest she didn't say anything. As a matter of fact, she didn't say anything at all until she reached the nest.

"Oh no."

Nettlesplash froze. "What do you mean, ' _oh no'_?"

She laughed nervously. "It, um, isn't exactly _empty_. The hawk is a mother!"

Nettlesplash peered over her shoulder and immediately groaned. _Chicks._ The nest was sheltering three fluffy, baby hawk chicks.

"We have to leave _now_ ," he ordered.

"Wait!" Birdflight protested, smiling like she was looking at her own kits. "Aren't they adorable? Let's take them back to camp!"

The tom inhaled such a violent gust of air that he started coughing. "A-are you _insane_?!" he demanded, even though he already knew the answer: _yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes-_

"I can raise them," Birdflight meowed, more serious than he'd ever seen her. "I can carry the nest back and hide it in one of the empty dens, and I can bring them fresh-kill every day! They look old enough to eat flesh, don't they?"

" _Your flesh._ They're hawks!"

"They're _chicks_ ; they can be raised to think like cats," she retorted.

Nettlesplash groaned again, louder this time. "You can't be serious! You can't convince a bird that it's a cat!"

"Why not?" she challenged him.

"Because it's _a bird_!"

Speaking of birds.

A furious screech suddenly ripped through the air, one that made Nettlesplash's pelt bristle and sent a rush of fear straight to his racing heart. He dared to look up, and the first thing he saw was the mother hawk flying towards them, her razor-sharp talons open and dangerous and ready to kill.

" _SCREEEEEEECH_!"

Nettlesplash decided right there that if the hawk didn't kill Birdflight, then _he_ would.

* * *

Step one of _Operation: Take Revenge on Mintfur for All Those Times She Mocked Us_ was complete!

… _note to self: come up with a shorter operation title._

Creekfeather and Swiftleap managed to avoid Sharpclaw's hawk-like gaze as they snuck the beehive into camp and stashed it in one of the empty dens. "Isn't this the den you fell out of?" Swiftleap asked, looking around the at the walls.

"Probably. If it is then it's strictly off-limits, so if Sharpclaw catches us we're as dead as crowfood."

"We're _already_ as good as crowfood," his partner-in-crime mumbled. "Why does Sharpclaw hate us so much?"

"Beats me," Creekfeather replied with a shrug, positioning the hive into place. "I think he just hates fun."

"Nah, 'cause Cherrytail is a blast."

"He doesn't deserve her," Creekfeather muttered darkly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Now, it's time for step two of _Operation: Mintfur Totally Deserves Everything That's Coming to Her_!"

Swiftleap shook his head.

"Still too long?"

"Too long and it doesn't really roll off the tongue either, y'know?"

The gray tabby nodded crisply. "Fine. We'll keep brainstorming ideas as we work on step two. Now come on, let's go before Sharpclaw comes looking for us!"

* * *

Sharpclaw thought that the duo were goofing around in the forest right now, still on orders to remark the border. He sent them out just after dawn and now the sun was at its highest place in the sky, so it wouldn't be very long before he set out and hunted the toms down.

Mintfur wouldn't return to camp with Firepaw until sun-down. They didn't need much longer to prepare, but they needed more time than Sharpclaw was willing to afford them. That called for a distraction to keep the SkyClan deputy occupied.

Thankfully, Creekfeather stopped by to gossip with the queens that morning (they had dirt on every single warrior in camp) and Clovertail mentioned that Sharpclaw would be taking over for Cherrytail that evening. His mate had plans to stretch her legs and do a bit of hunting, so the SkyClan deputy would be chained to the Nursery.

Creekfeather checked out the sky again. Cherrytail had been gone for a while, so it wouldn't be long until she returned and Sharpclaw was free to hunt him and Swiftleap down. They had to put their distraction into play _now_.

"Are you sure this'll work?" Swiftleap murmured as they snuck towards the Nursery, unseen. "I mean, it's just a feather."

Creekfeather's perfect distraction was brilliant in its simplicity. He would give the kits a pretty blue feather and tell them they could play with it. He was counting on a breeze blowing it across camp and the kits following it while Sharpclaw's back was turned, only for him to realize that they were gone and search for them.

It wouldn't take him long to find the three troublemakers, but it would give the duo the time to execute their plan.

"Of course it'll work," the gray tabby replied confidently. "It was _my_ idea."

Sharpclaw was sitting just outside the Nursery, talking to Patchfoot and Clovertail about something or another. Their backs were turned so the toms darted into the Nursery, careful not to make a sound.

The kits were curled up in their nest, though their eyes brightened as soon as they realized they had guests. "Creekfeather, Swiftleap!" the brown tom-kit, Driftkit, squealed upon recognizing them.

" _Shhh_!" Swiftleap shushed the kits. "We have a surprise for you, but you have to be very, _very quiet_. Understand?"

The three kits nodded excitedly.

Creekfeather dropped the blue feather and nudged it towards them. Mistykit, the lone she-kit, _oohed_ appreciatively. "It's so pretty," she whispered.

Creekfeather nodded. "You three can play with it outside if you want."

Sunkit pouted. "No, we can't. Sharpclaw told us we have to stay in the nest until Cherrytail comes back."

"Well, that's no fun, is it?" Swiftleap reasoned. "If you get chase it around outside the den, I don't think Sharpclaw would be mad at you."

"Let's do it!" Driftkit exclaimed. "I'm tired of being stuck in this dusty cave anyway."

"Pleaseeee Sunkit," Mistykit begged, and a smile tugged at Creekfeather's lips. _She sounds just like me when I was a kit and Rabbitkit wouldn't let me do whatever I wanted to._

Sunkit looked uncertain for a heartbeat, and then he perked up. "Okay, let's do it!" He snatched the feather up in his mouth and darted towards the cave entrance, his littermates racing after him.

"Let's go!" Creekfeather breathed, pushing past the kits and racing away from the Nursery, back to the beehive and with Swiftleap on his tail.

Part two of _Operation: Mintfur is a Fox-Heart_ was complete!

 _Hey… I kinda like that one!_

* * *

From their height in the cave, Creekfeather and Swiftleap could see most of the camp. The Nursery was in plain view, and so were the three kits tussling outside of it. Sharpclaw had noticed the feather and narrowed his eyes, but he didn't scold his kits. Instead, he turned his back again and continued conversing with Patchfoot and Clovertail.

"Your grand distraction isn't working," Swiftleap pointed out.

"Not _yet_ ," Creekfeather corrected him, even as worry started to nip at his mind. "We still have a little longer until Cherrytail comes back and Sharpclaw starts looking for us." Even so he peered out into the forest and searched for Mintfur's gray tabby pelt. "Where _is_ she?" he wondered aloud. "The mentors should be returning right about now."

"Do you ever wonder how Mintfur and Sagefoot are littermates?" Swiftleap asked, casting a cautious glance towards the beehive in the back of the den. "I mean, they're nothing alike! Mintfur is uptight and rude and can't take a joke, but Sagefoot is laid-back and funny and never gets flustered or anything."

"Petalnose is kinda a mix between them," Creekfeather replied, his gaze going back and forth between the Nursery and the forest. "She's a good warrior, but she's relaxed and nice. I think she leans more towards Sagefoot."

"Who was their father?" the creamy-colored tom wondered aloud. "He's not a SkyClan warrior, is he?"

"Nah. Some loner who was around during Firestar's days. I think he died in a battle or something."

"Maybe Mintfur gets her personality from him?"

"Maybe. I wonder if he was punctual, because Mintfur sure isn't!"

Swiftleap padded up beside him and looked to the Nursery. Creekfeather sensed him suddenly stiffen, then asked, "Uh, Creekfeather, are you _sure_ this distraction was a good idea?"

"Mhm, positive. Why?" Just then a gray tabby pelt appeared in his vision, and he nearly cheered when he recognized Mintfur. "Hold that thought Swiftleap, Mintfur's back! We gotta move the hive up here!"

But Swiftleap wasn't listening. "Creekfeater, the _kits-_ "

 _SPLASH!_

A squeal of terror echoed throughout camp, and Creekfeather's gaze darted back towards the Nursery. The feather was floating down the river… and so were Mistykit and Sunkit!

"Sharpclaw, Cherrytail!" Sunkit wailed.

"Help us!" Mistykit cried, fighting to keep her head above the rushing water.

Swiftleap gasped. "Creekfeather, they fell in after the feather!"

"I know, the distraction is going even better than I planned!"

Suddenly the kits' cries reached Mintfur and Firepaw, and the two she-cats broke out into a run! "Oh StarClan, they're running," Creekfeather fretted. "Hurry Swiftleap, the hive!"

"But the kits-"

"There's nothing we can do for them! Come on, seize the moment!"

He groaned but didn't protest any longer. He darted towards the back of the den and started rolling the hive forward, and the bees buzzing became increasingly louder. Creekfeather's gaze flitted around the camp as cats burst into camp and emerged from their dens, startled by the kits' squeals and screams.

Sharpclaw was chasing his kits but the river was too fast! Sunkit's head went under the water, and that was the moment true fear crashed over Creekfeather like a wave - they were _drowning_! _Oh StarClan, what did we do?!_

Mintfur was racing towards camp, a dark gray blur. Sparrowpelt burst out of the forest as well, their apprentices hot on their heels. _If we don't drop the hive soon we'll miss our chance!_

Suddenly there was another, louder _SPLASH!_ and Creekfeather's heart jumped into my throat when he realized that Rabbitleap jumped into the river! "What's he doing?!" He couldn't help but cry. "Rabbitleap can't swim!"

"Okay, it's here!" Swiftleap panted, eyeing the hive cautiously. "Where's Mintfur?"

"She's- _she's right underneath us_!" Rabbitleap's heroic _death-leap_ had distracted him and he didn't realize that the she-cat was streaking past until it was too late! _We missed our chance!_

"Right now?!"

"Yes, right now! It's over, we-"

Swiftleap shoved the hive off of the ledge.

After that, it was like everything happened in slow motion.

Sunkit's head disappeared beneath the churning water, and Mistykit was quick to follow him.

Rabbitleap inhaled a gulp of air and dove beneath the surface.

Mintfur and Firepaw streaked past the cave and out of harm's way; the beehive explosion wouldn't bother them.

Sparrowpelt, however, stopped right beneath the cave, his eyes wide as he watched Rabbitleap dive for the two kits.

The beehive fell on top of Sparrowpelt, then exploded with a hundred furious bees. His yowls of terror and confusion thundered throughout the gorge. Stormpaw skidded to a halt behind her mentor and screamed in terror.

Creekfeather and Swiftleap stared at each other in horror. "We just… we just dropped the hive on top of _Sparrowpelt_!" Swiftleap cried.

"You mean _you_ dropped the hive on top of Sparrowpelt - I didn't lay a paw on that thing!"

* * *

 _What am I doing, I can't swim?!_ That was the thought that flashed through Rabbitleap's mind right before he jumped into the roaring river.

But fear didn't grip me as the cold waters did; _adrenaline_ did. He started churning his paws beneath the water and clamped his mouth shut, determined to breathe through his nose so that he didn't swallow any water. Sunkit and Mistykit were flailing just in front of him, if he could swim just a _little faster_ -

Suddenly Sunkit ducked beneath the furious waves, then Mistykit followed him. Their screaming ceased and before Rabbitleap could even think about it, he was diving after them.

It was difficult to see anything underneath the waves and the water stung his eyes, but he forced them to stay open as he searched frantically for the kits… _there they are!_ His paws propelled him forward and he snatched Mistykit in his jaws, then struggled to do the same with Sunkit. _Come on Sunkit, just corporate with me!_ The young kits didn't have much longer.

 _Got you!_ Rabbitleap latched onto the tortoiseshell tom's pelt and then started swimming back towards the surface. It certainly wasn't easy with two squirming kits weighing him down, but he was determined to save them. _Just a little further, come on Rabbitleap, they're depending on you, you can't let them down, come on come on come on-_

Rabbitleap broke through the water with a gasp, and he barely resisted the urge to let go of the kits and inhale gulps of air into his lungs. Instead, he breathed rapidly through his nose and fought to get back to the shore, eventually reaching it.

The warrior dropped the kits onto the hard, dry ground and then lifted himself out. His legs collapsed beneath him but he didn't care. Finally, he could breathe properly again!

Sharpclaw, Cherrytail, and Clovertail skidded to a stop around the kits. Cherrytail immediately began nuzzling her kits, murmuring soothing things to them while Clovertail licked their fur backwards.

"You saved them!" Sharpclaw exclaimed, breathless.

"Uh, yeah," Rabbitleap mumbled, unable to say much.

"Thank you so much, Rabbitleap," Cherrytail gushed. "I swear, I left Sharpclaw with the kits for _one evening_ -!"

"I thought they knew better than to fall into the river!" Sharpclaw protested. "Ugh, that's not important right now. Echosong, we need you!"

Frecklewish rushed forward. "I'll have to do for now," the speckled she-cat explained. "Echosong is helping Sparrowpelt to her den right now - a beehive fell on him!"

Sharpclaw's green eyes widened. "A _beehive_?! How did that-nevermind, that's not important right now either. Here Frecklewish, take a look at them."

The medicine cat apprentice stepped forward and began nosing the kits, licking their faces and running her paw across their swollen bellies. "They swallowed a lot of water but they should be okay," she finally meowed. "Their breathing is labored, but it's not too bad. Echosong and I will watch over them tonight, but they'll be fine."

Cherrytail exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thank StarClan!"

Clovertail looked at Rabbitleap. "It's a good thing you jumped in when you did, Rabbitleap. I didn't know you could swim!"

He mustered a weak smile. "Yeah… neither did I."

"You should be proud," Frecklewish remarked. "You saved their lives. I doubt they would have lasted much longer beneath the water."

"It was nothing," he replied, his skin growing hot beneath his damp fur.

"No," Sharpclaw suddenly started, "I owe you my kits' _lives_ , Rabbitleap. It wasn't nothing."

"We owe you much more than their lives," Cherrytail agreed.

Murmurs went up into the air, and that was the first time Rabbitleap noticed the crowd gathered around them. He saw Waspwhisker and Fallowfern gazing at him with pride; Creekfeather and Plumwillow were staring at him with wide eyes, as if they couldn't process what he'd just done; Ebonyclaw, Billystorm, Bouncefire, and Petalnose all murmured to one another, but their eyes seemed to shine with a new sort of respect.

Mintfur stood front and center, her green eyes blazed with fury, as if Rabbitleap had stolen this moment from her. _She_ wanted to be the hero, _she_ wanted everyone to gaze at her in awe and respect.

He turned back to Sharpclaw and Cherrytail and shrugged modestly. "It was just instinct," he meowed. "I saw them fall into the river and I couldn't just stand by and watch them drown."

Mintfur snarled and spun around, and pushed her way through the crowd of onlookers. Soon her gray tail disappeared, and a new realization hit him.

" _I've got more experience as a warrior than you do… what have you accomplished? Nothing notable."_

This was an accomplishment. This was notable.

He had a chance again, and Mintfur knew it.

* * *

Later that evening, Rabbitleap found himself standing inside Leafstar's den. "You wanted to speak with me, Leafstar?" he asked.

The leader of SkyClan was perched in her nest, tall and regal and _a leader_. Her mate, Billystorm, had been sharing a squirrel with her and upon Rabbitleap's arrival, he dipped his head; a sign of respect.

Rabbitleap tried not to squeal with excitement as he copied the action.

"Yes, I did," Leafstar meowed, and his attention went back to her. "What you did today was very impressive, Rabbitleap. Not many cats are brave enough to risk their lives like you did."

He shuffled my paws modestly. "It was just instinct," he repeated himself.

"That kind of instinct is what the best warriors are made out of," Billystorm meowed.

"Billystorm is right," Leafstar agreed. "And those are the kind of warriors I want to train our apprentices."

Rabbitleap perked his ears forward; was she tugging his tail? Was Leaftstar actually about to promise him one of Cherrytail's kits? _I have to ask, I have to be certain_ , "Leafstar, are you… am I going to train one of Cherrytail's kits when they're ready?"

But the brown-and-cream she-cat shook her head. "No, not Cherrytail's."

 _What?_

"You're going to train Stormpaw."

 _What?_

"Y-your daughter?" The warrior stuttered. "But-but she already has a mentor!"

Leafstar's lips tightened into a frown. "She _had_ a mentor. Somehow a beehive just _fell_ on Sparrowpelt when he returned to camp, and Echosong said he's going to need about a moon to recover from the stings. Stormpaw is going to need someone to train her now, and I want that someone to be you."

Billystorm shot him a grin. "So? What do you say?"

 _What do I say?!_ "I-I'm honored!" Rabbitleap practically exclaimed. "I promise, I won't let you down! I've watched Stormpaw and she seems like a very intelligent she-cat, so I know she'll make a fantastic apprentice. Thank you so mu-"

"Slow down, Rabbitleap," Leafstar said gently, although her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Billystorm and I talked about it and we do have _one_ condition."

"Of course, anything!"

The couple exchanged a glance, and then Leafstar began, "Ever since Harrykit… passed, Stormpaw and Firepaw have been exceptionally close. We want them to remain close, and we ask that they are trained together. That means… you'll have to train Stormpaw with Firepaw and _Mintfur_."

… _WHAT?!_

* * *

Creekfeather needed a minute alone.

He was outside of camp, pacing as thought after thought raced through his head.

 _This wasn't supposed to happen._ The kits were never supposed to drown (er _-almost_ drown, thanks to Rabbitleap) and the beehive wasn't supposed to crash onto Sparrowpelt. This was supposed to be an innocent prank to take Mintfur down a couples notches!

(But then again, how innocent was a prank that involved dropping a beehive on someone?)

Creekfeather shook his head. The worst part of it all was that his pelt was practically crawling with guilt, like thousands of furious red ants! No one suspected him or Swiftleap of the incident, and if they did then they kept it to themselves. But for once, the warrior wished they _would_ have been caught! Leafstar would have punished them again, sure, and Sharpclaw would have yelled, absolutely, but at least he would feel like he got what he deserved!

 _I need to make this right somehow, but without coming forward,_ Creekfeather thought. _I need to do something for the good of the Clan, something that will ease my guilt! But what..._

Just then two cats appeared in his vision. He stopped pacing and eyed them in surprise, taking in their fresh scars and matted pelts. "What in StarClan's name happened to _you_?" Creekfeather exclaimed.

"Don't ask," Nettlesplash grunted, shoving past him. "If anyone needs me, tell them a hawk carried me off and fed me to her chicks."

Birdflight huffed. "Oh, stop that! Look on the bright side, at least you can say you did something today! Nettlesplash? _Nettlesplash_!" the black she-cat raced after Nettlesplash, and Creekfeather watched them disappear into camp, more confused than ever.

* * *

 **Question of the Day**

 **What crazy adventure will Birdflight drag Nettlesplash on next?**

 **#Seriously y'all. I need ideas!**

* * *

 **Ta-da, an update! And it only took me... thirteen months? A year and a month?**

 **Consider this a friendly reminder that fanfiction authors do not get paid. We do this for fun because we love the fandom and we love to write, and your reviews are really what inspire us and push us to keep writing - it's awesome to read about your favorite parts in a chapter, who your favorite characters are, what your favorite line was, what you think will happen in the next chapters... it's one of the best feelings a writer can have!**

 **So to all you silent readers, all the guests, and everyone who thinks their two-sentence review doesn't matter: IT DOES. If you love a fic and want to see it updated frequently, then leave a review! They mean the world to us! I promise, reviews are better than warm chocolate-chip cookies right out of the oven and sweeter for the soul :)**

* * *

 **Revision Date: 3/10/19**


	6. Creekfeather Almost Kills Half the Clan

**Disclaimer: I, KatieK101, do not own Warriors. If I did then SkyClan would've had their own freakin' arc, like, two years ago. Furthermore, this fic should not be considered canon past the events of 'SkyClan and the Stranger'.**

 **Special thanks to** **InkblotLeaf** **for creating this beautiful cover art! You're a gem!**

* * *

 **Chapter Six - Creekfeather Almost Kills Half the Clan**

* * *

"Is this _really_ necessary?" Nettlesplash asked for the seventh time, hoping in vain that his littermates would come to their senses. "I mean… _really_?"

"When I missed a meeting, was it necessary that I eat a mouthful of crowfood?" Plumwillow demanded, obviously still bitter.

"Absolutely. You missed a meeting to moon over some brainless tom."

Plumwillow recoiled as if Nettlesplash had struck her. "Rockshade is _not_ brainless! He's very intelligent, thank you very much!"

"Not that you speak from experience, of course, considering you've never actually had a conversation with him."

Plumwillow lashed her tail. "I've talked to him before," she protested fiercely. "Just not… often."

"You know who _I_ think is an intelligent tom?" Creekfeather cut in. "Sharpclaw. And he's handsome, too! His bright green eyes are just… so… _green_ with intelligence."

"I hate you," Nettlesplash meowed bluntly.

"Stop talking," Rabbitleap agreed.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't even hear you," Plumwillow meowed, looking anywhere but her bird-brained brother.

Birdflight glanced at the now-deflated Creekfeather. "I didn't know you had feelings for Sharpclaw," she meowed, seemingly genuine but there was a sly note of sarcasm in her voice. "Have you considered sharing him with Cherrytail?"

"Shut up," Creekfeather muttered bitterly. "Why is Birdflight even here, anyway? These meetings are supposed to be for _littermates, only_!"

"Because thanks to _someone_ ," Nettlesplash shot Rabbitleap a pointed glare, "I'm being forced to shadow Birdflight wherever she goes. That's why I missed the meeting yesterday, but does anyone care that I was simply following orders? No!"

"Sibling meetings are a priority," Rabbitleap meowed, clearly unfazed. "You know better than to miss one, and now you're paying the price." He nodded to Nettlesplash's beloved nest, then gestured to the river. "Get on with it, Nettlesplash."

Frankly Nettlesplash thought this was a ridiculous punishment; he could always make a new nest. As a matter of fact, it wasn't sanitary to use the same nest for very long. But…

But that nest was practically his best friend! It was there for him whenever he needed a place to hide, a place to sleep, a place to avoid social interaction. It didn't do anything to deserve this fate!

Nettlesplash wasn't trying to steal Creekfeather's title as _The Most Dramatic Littermate_ , but honestly, this just felt wrong.

But he knew his littermates would never succumb to reason, so he tried to scoff as nonchalantly as possible after he shoved his nest into the river. The moss-lining swelled and became heavy, and pulled the whole thing under the waters, never to be seen again.

"That was very anticlimactic," Birdflight remarked.

" _Hush_!" Nettlesplash hissed. "A moment of silence, please!"

The littermates bowed their heads in respect, and Creekfeather even sniffled. Birdflight blinked indignantly, but even she bowed her head for a few heartbeats.

"Alright," Rabbitleap meowed, smiling brightly enough to outshine the sun, "we've all got busy days ahead of us, so let's get a move on!"

"Hold on," Plumwillow protested, "I didn't get to give _my_ -"

"See you later, guys!" Rabbitleap called over his shoulder, already racing back towards camp. "I've got _an apprentice_ to train!"

Nettlesplash screwed his features. "How many times did he mention Stormpaw this morning?"

"Twenty-two," Plumwillow replied without skipping a beat.

"Eh, let him have it," Creekfeather shrugged. "How long has he been begging StarClan to give him an apprentice? At least we won't have to listen to him whine about Mintfur having an apprentice anymore."His littermates mumbled their agreement.

Plumwillow started back towards camp and Creekfeather chased after her, asking her for some ideas about something or another. Birdflight fell into step with Nettlesplash, and he moved a squirrel-length away even as she remarked, "you and your littermates have an _interesting_ way of doing things."

"Mhm," he grunted, tired. Birdflight still insisted on waking up before dawn to watch the sunrise, so as soon as she deemed it 'over' they had raced across the forest to join his littermates for their daily meeting. Rabbitleap wasn't thrilled to have a guest present, but Nettlesplash was quick to remind him just _why_ Birdflight was present.

"So," she began, bright-eyed and _disgustingly_ cheerful, "today I was thinking we could revisit that hawk nest, wait for her to come back, and then jump on her back and try to fly! Thoughts?"

* * *

Rabbitleap raced back to camp as fast as his paws would carry him, kicking up pebbles and leaving dust in his wake. _Today is my first day with Stormpaw,_ he thought gleefully.

By the time he arrived back at camp, Sharpclaw was just sending out the dawn patrols and the early-risers were shaking off their slumber and grooming their pelts, ready to tackle a new day. Rabbitleap slowed down to a trot when he entered the camp and called out a few cheerful "good morning"s. He had always been a morning-cat; in his opinion, there was no better way to wake up than with a dawn patrol to stretch your muscles and use your mind.

 _I'll have to instill the same mindset into Stormpaw,_ he thought. _Or, at the very least, I have to make sure she becomes the opposite of Nettlesplash._

As the dark brown tom made his way to the Apprentice Den, he took a moment to let the nostalgia soak in. Just three moons ago, he slept in this very cave and now he had his own apprentice!

Rabbitleap stuck his head into the den, ready to greet his apprentice for the first time, but his smile immediately disappeared. Stormpaw's nest was empty! As a matter of fact, Firepaw's nest was empty as well.

His brow was furrowed with confusion as he stepped out of the cave. _When I was an apprentice, Sharpclaw had to wake me up every morning and I_ _liked_ _the mornings! There's no way Stormpaw woke up this early by herself._

And yet, that seemed to be exactly what happened. Stormpaw clearly wasn't in the den, so either she woke up on her own, or- _or wha_ t? It wasn't like Mintfur made a point to beat him to the apprentices so that she could steal them both while he was busy.

Wait.

"Ugh!" Rabbitleap growled. " _Mintfur_!" The gray tabby she-cat had tried to sabotage him plenty of times in the past, but this was a new low - _even for her_! Stormpaw wasn't even her apprentice, what right did she have to take her out?! "That dirty, rotten, sorry excuse for a-"

" _Ahem_. Looking for someone?" a dry voice interrupted him. Rabbitleap spun around and was greeted by Mintfur, Firepaw, and _Stormpaw_. "It took you long enough to wake up; I've had the apprentices up for _ages_ ," Mintfur meowed, oh-so condescending. Her green eyes were dark with disapproval, and Stormpaw shuffled her paws awkwardly.

Rabbitleap frowned. "For your information, I was one of the first cats awake," he meowed tartly. "I was just busy."

The gray tabby she-cat scoffed. "With your littermate meeting? Do you _still_ have those?"

He ignored her jab, and instead looked at Stormpaw. He smiled as warmly as he could, but that wasn't saying much; thanks to Mintfur, Stormpaw's impression of her new mentor was already colored, and he wasn't in a very _sunshiney_ mood. "Hi," Rabbitleap meowed, hoping she didn't notice how tense his voice was. "I'm Rabbitleap, but I suppose you already know that."

The young she-cat returned his smile although hers was considerably less forced. "I'm Stormpaw!" she chirped. "But I guess you know that too."

"Are you done with introductions yet?" Mintfur asked, stifling a bored yawn. "I know it's your first day as a mentor, Rabbitleap, but we have _actual training_ to get to."

 _StarClan, give me strength._ "Fine. What did you and Sparrowpelt have planned for today?"

"Well, we _wanted_ to take the apprentices on a dawn patrol, but since _you_ were so late…"

"There's more to do than patrol," Rabbitleap retorted, before looking down at the apprentices again. "How about we go hunting? A good hunt always wakes me up!"

Firepaw perked up a bit. "We haven't done much hunting," she admitted. "Mintfur and Sparrowpelt have mostly shown us around the territory."

"Perfect!" Rabbitleap purred happily. "Then today we can show you guys the basics of hunting, and if you feel up to it then we can have a little competition later."

"Yes!" Stormpaw cheered, whilst Firepaw gave a small bounce of excitement.

Mintfur cleared her throat, obviously upset that she hadn't been asked for her opinion. The tom shot her a frosty glance and meowed, "Oh, I'm sorry: Mintfur, would you like to come hunting with us?"

The apprentices giggled, but one swift look from Mintfur silenced them. She glared at Rabbitleap for all she was worth, then said, "fine, I was hoping to take them hunting soon anyway."

"Good to know we're on the same page," he replied dryly. "Come on Stormpaw, I know exactly where to go for your first hunt!"

Rabbitleap started towards the forest, but Mintfur shoved past him with a huff, overtaking the lead. Firepaw blinked, seemingly confused before dashing after her mentor. Rabbitleap watched the duo go and his heart sank into his stomach. _She really isn't going to make this easy for me, is she?_

Stormpaw looked just as confused as her littermate. "Sorry 'bout Mintfur's attitude," she apologized, mustering a smile. "She was kinda grumpy when she woke us up… maybe she didn't sleep well?"

 _Her awful attitude has nothing to do with how she slept, trust me._ Oh, if only it were that simple! But Rabbitleap couldn't explain that to Stormpaw; she was so young and impressionable, and Leafstar made it very clear that he and Mintfur would have to work together. He didn't want to start their partnership on such a low note.

So instead of explaining that Mintfur was slimier than crowfood, the tom blinked gratefully at Stormpaw and meowed, "yeah, I'm sure that's it. Come on, we don't want them to leave us behind!"

Rabbitleap was compiling a list of ' _get to know you'_ questions when a sudden " _Rabbitleap_!" interrupted his train of thought. He stopped, glanced backward, and immediately regretted it when Creekfeather thundered up the sandstone path. "Great StarClan," he mumbled, "I don't have time for this!"

Creekfeather skidded to a stop and shot his brother his most dazzling smile. "I need good deed ideas!"

Rabbitleap blinked, caught off guard. "What? Why? You don't care about doing good deeds."

The gray tabby hesitated, like he didn't want to share something. "I just… I'm trying to prove myself to Leafstar and Sharpclaw, that's all." His smile returned full-force. "Maybe if I can impress them, they'll shorten mine and Swiftleap's punishment!"

"That…" Rabbitleap trailed off, suspicion ebbing away, "is oddly mature of you, Creekfeather." He grinned and said, "Let's see, good deeds… oh! Since Mintfur and I are taking the apprentices out so early, they haven't had time to bring Tangle some prey. You could always do that."

Creekfeather's blue eyes brightened. "That's easy! Thanks, Rabbitleap!" Then he spun around and thundered back down the path he followed, tail streaming behind him.

"I'm proud of you!" Rabbitleap called after him. He always knew that eventually Creekfeather would leave his ridiculous pranks in the past and become a respectable warrior - he just didn't dare hope that it would be so soon!

" _Whoa_ ," Stormpaw murmured softly, reminding Rabbitleap of her presence. He looked down at her and- _oh no_. "So _that's_ Creekfeather?"

Rabbitleap recorginized that look anywhere; at one point that look never left Tinycloud's face. Or Frecklewish's. Or Honeyflower's. Or that one kittypet who hovered by the border every day just hoping that Creekfeather would be on a patrol.

 _Oh no no no no-_

"Come on!" he meowed urgently, nudging his apprentice along. "We have to catch up with Mintfur!"

Stormpaw didn't protest, even as she stared dreamily down the sandstone path.

* * *

"You really think this will work?" Swiftleap asked, as he shuffled through the fresh-kill pile. The dawn patrols hadn't returned yet so the pile wasn't very large, but Creekfeather found a nice-size sparrow at the bottom of it. _Perfect!_ He thought, snatching the sparrow up in his mouth. _Yuck! It tastes weird!_

That was probably why the sparrow was untouched, but Tangle was older than dirt; he couldn't taste much these days anyway.

In response to Swiftleap, he meowed, "of course it well! I asked Plumwillow how we could improve our standing in the Clan, and she suggested good deeds. Rabbitleap said that feeding the elders was definitely a good deed, so technically this is _their_ plan! And have you ever known one of their plans to fail before?"

Swiftleap seemed to consider that as they walked towards the Elders' Den. "I guess not."

"Exactly! Plus, Sharpclaw can't get mad at us for not doing our chores because, technically, taking care of the elders is _a_ chore."

That settled it for Swiftleap. "We're such good Clanmates," he meowed, chest puffed out.

The path to the Elders' Den curved and looped, but it was easy enough to follow. When the two toms arrived arrived, Tangle was sunning himself outside his den. His eyes were closed and his muzzle pointed towards the sky, soaking up the sun's warmth, but as soon as he heard pawsteps he snapped to attention. The apply-named elder gave the duo an irritated once-over ( _rude, we havn't even spoken yet!_ ) and meowed bluntly, "whatever trouble you two are here to stir, I want no part of it."

Creekfeather scoffed. "What makes you assume we're here to cause trouble?"

"Because that's all you've been since the moment you were kitted," Tangle retorted.

Creekfeather did his best to not scowl at the grumpy elder; he'd forgotten why he hated taking care of the elders as an apprentice, but now it all came rushing back to him. _Plumwillow always was his favorite!_ "Well, that's not why we're here today," he meowed as politely as he could manage.

"We brought you some fresh-kill!" Swiftleap announced, and gave the elder his most charming smile. "We picked it out specially for you, since the apprentices are out training."

Tangle's gaze fell to the sparrow in Creekfeather's jaws, and he seemed to soften. "Well, I'll never turn down a plump sparrow." _Yes!_ Creekfeather set the sparrow down at Tangle's paws, and he gave it a cautious sniff. "Humph. Seems fresh enough."

"Well, we'll let you eat in peace," Creekfeather meowed, already nudging Swiftleap back down the path which they came. He didn't want to hover around and annoy Tangle, and undo their good deed. "Just holler if you need anything!"

"I won't," the elder replied, already digging into the sparrow.

As the duo padded back towards the central camp, Swiftleap rolled his eyes. "What a grump! We should have brought that sparrow to Clovertail and Cherrytail instead. At least _they_ would appreciate us."

Creekfeather shrugged. "Maybe this'll be the thing that warms Tangle up to us. So that's one good deed down, but it's not enough! What else could we do?"

" _Weellllll_ ," Swiftleap drawled, "Sagefoot mentioned that Petalnose has been kinda depressed lately. Maybe we could do something for her?"

"We could bring her flowers?" Creekfeather suggested. "Echosong and Frecklewish get daisies from beside the Whispering Cave."

The creamy-colored tom grinned. "Sounds like a plan! Let's go!"

* * *

Refocusing Stormpaw was no easy task, but Rabbitleap finally managed to do so. Now she listened intently as he explained the hunter's crouch.

"Hunting may not me as exciting as battle training, but there's no feeling quite like making your first kill," Rabbitleap started, thinking back to his own days as an apprentice. "What technique you use depends on what kind of prey you want to hunt."

He looked at Stormpaw expectantly. She hesitated, then answered, "birds?"

The warrior nodded. "Birds are an obvious choice, considering our lifestyle."

Mintfur snorted from behind him. "Would you quit with all the chit-chat and start explaining the _actual_ crouch already?"

Firepaw nodded. "I want to at least _try_ and hunt before it gets dark!"

Rabbitleap grit his jaw and prayed to StarClan for patience. " _Fine_. So, birds; you want to snag your claws into their wings and bring them down, then quickly bite their neck. If you misjudge yourself or can't get a clear killing bite in, then try to disable its' wings so it can't fly. Now, pay attention to my crouch."

He demonstrated a proper crouch and added, "you always want to keep your tail above the ground, so that-"

"Your paws aren't spread apart enough," Mintfur pointed out.

He shot the other mentor a pointed glare. "You know, you could always teach _Firepaw_ how to hunt instead of _me_."

"I _am_ teaching her," Mintfur defended herself. "I'm showing her what _not_ to do!"

"Spread my paws more than Rabbitleap does," Firepaw noted aloud. "Got it."

Rabbitleap growled and stood up. "Fine, if I'm doing such a sloppy job then why don't _you_ demonstrate the crouch?"

"Gladly," Mintfur retorted. "Firepaw, Stormpaw, watch me." The gray tabby she-cat shoved her fellow mentor out of the way, and then executed a… flawless hunters' crouch. _Of course. I forgot that Mintfur aced the hunting portion of her warrior assessment._

" _Oooh_ , I see what you meant about his paws!" Stormpaw exclaimed. His apprentice immediately shot him an apologetic glance as Mintfur snickered, and Rabbitleap mustered the most reassuring smile that he could. _Great StarClan, could this get any worse?_

Mintfur explained how to hold one's tail, keep one's balance, and stalk forward. The brown tom analyzed her every movement, searching for just _one_ mistake, but her technique was perfect.

"Now," she started, standing up, "you two give it a try."

Stormpaw and Firepaw obeyed her. His apprentice was slightly bulkier than her sister, so she seemed to have a harder time keeping her balance. "Make sure your weight is evenly distributed," Rabbitleap reminded her. "And don't spread your paws so far apart - it'll help with the balance."

"But this is how far Mintfur spread hers," Stormpaw protested.

"You're right," he admitted. "However, Mintfur has longer legs than you do. You have to do what makes _you_ feel comfortable; otherwise, you won't be able to hunt your best."

The gray-and-ginger she-cat contemplated that for a moment, then shortened her stride. Rabbitleap came up behind her and nudged her hind legs even closer together, and reminded her to lift her tail. When he stepped back Stormpaw's entire face lit up. "This feels way more natural!" she exclaimed, then shot him a smile. "Thanks, Rabbitleap!"

That was the moment that made Mintfur's sarcastic remarks worthwild. _I love moments like this_ ; when puzzle pieces came together and just _clicked_. Their first training session might have been a bit rocky, but Stormpaw's joyful reaction was worth it all.

That was the moment Rabbitleap realized he not be a perfect warrior, he loved being a mentor.

* * *

The hunting patrols had returned a while ago, and now Plumwillow stretched out across the warm Rockpile, sunning herself and eating a delicious robin. Honeyflower was sharing a sparrow with Tinycloud, and Frecklewish sat down across from them.

"Plumwillow, I'll never understand how you could possibly hate green-leaf," the Medicine Cat declared. "The days are so nice!"

"Today is nice," Plumwillow agreed with her. "It's just the sticky, _unbearably hot_ days that I hate."

"Same," Tinycloud agreed. "My pelt is so thick, it holds in all of the heat!"

"You and Bouncefire must have inherited that from Clovertail," Frecklewish meowed thoughtfully. "His pelt is thick too."

Tinycloud hummed in agreement as she tore off a piece of meat. "We all have trouble staying cool in green-leaf. _Rockshade_ , however, _loves_ those hot days!"

Plumwillow looked at the white she-cat and blinked curiously at this new bit of information. "Really?" she asked.

Honeyflower suddenly chimed in, "oh right, he mentioned that on today's dawn patrol! He said he hoped that today was as hot as yesterday so that he could go for a swim."

Plumwillow shot her best friend a puzzled glance. "I didn't know you were on a dawn patrol today."

Honeyflower shrugged. "I forgot to mention it. Sharpclaw had to practically drag me out of the den by my tail! Anyway," she continued, "it wasn't very eventful. No strange scents or crossed borders, although Sagefoot kept us entertained!"

As her friends chattered on like a trio of bluebirds, Plumwillow found her focus drifting. _Why didn't Honeyflower tell me about the dawn patrol?_ She wondered. _She knows how important our mission is! Every piece of information is useful._

She stared at the light gray she-cat, who was laughing at something that Frecklewish said, seemingly carefree. _Maybe I'm overthinking it, but sometimes Honeyflower is more dedicated to this mission than me!_

"I'll see you guys later," Plumwillow meowed as she stood to her paws and pushed her half-eaten robin to the side. She needed some room to organize her thoughts.

"Are you sure?" Tinycloud asked, pulling away from the conversation to check on her. "Do you feel okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied, mustering a smile. "I think the heat is getting to me. I'm just going to go find some shade."

Tinycloud nodded and Frecklewish waved her tail in acknowledgement. Only Honeyflower didn't seem to hear her, as she finished off her sparrow. Plumwillow frowned but didn't push her, and walked down the rockpath to the Sunningstones.

* * *

 _Maybe she planned on telling me later?_ Plumwillow considered, nestled amongst the leaves of her favorite tree. Patchfoot and Clovertail were sharing tongues on the Sunningstones beneath her, but she was so lost in her thoughts that she couldn't even coo over the adorable couple. _But she said that she forgot. She's never forgotten to immediately give me a Rockshade update!_

 _Then again, I haven't seen Honeyflower until we all settled down to eat. But… that's strange too! We usually spend all day together! I haven't seen her around camp or hanging out with anyone else. What's she been up to today?_

She shook her head. _Focus, Plumwillow. You aren't Honeyflower's Clan leader, so she doesn't have to answer to you or keep you updated on her life._

 _Still… she usually does willingly._

 _Am I over analyzing the situation, or am I missing a puzzle piece?_

"Hey there, Plumwillow!"

The she-cat yelped, startled, and nearly lost her footing when Sagefoot's head suddenly burst from the branches. The pale gray tabby tom was grinning, and Plumwillow _barely_ resisted the urge to cuff him over the ears. Instead, she busied herself with smoothing down her ruffled pelt as Sagefoot asked, "what are you doing up here?"

"Keeping cool," she replied crossly. How was that not obvious?

His entire face lit up. "That's exactly what I wanted to do! Great minds think alike, right," he purred, as he climbed up and settled down on a branch. Plumwillow smiled stiffly and nodded. _Ugh, hardly!_ "So," he started conversationally, "what have you been up to today?"

As Plumwillow racked her brain for polite ways to excuse herself, she replied, "Nothing interesting. I met up with my siblings, helped Frecklewish gather some herbs, anddd now I'm relaxing." _Or, I was trying_ _to relax, anyway._

Sagefoot nodded, apparently soaking in every word. "We've had similar days, then. I went on the dawn patrol this morning, helped Creekfeather and Swiftleap gather some moss for the Nursery, anddd," he grinned, "now I'm relaxing too!"

"Fascinating," Plumwillow meowed dryly. Then a thought struck her. "Wait a moment, you were on the patrol with Rockshade and Honeyflower, weren't you?"

Sagefoot nodded.

 _Perfect! Maybe Sagefoot isn't such a pain after all!_ "Did you happen to notice Honeyflower acting… strangely?" She asked. "A little more forgetful than usual, or maybe she mentioned feeling sick?"

The pale gray tabby narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "I don't think so. She was cheerful and had a great attitude." He shook his head. "I really don't know how she does it. I mean, I try to stay upbeat too, but I don't think I could ever be _that_ excited for a dawn patrol, y'know?"

Plumwillow blinked, caught off guard. "She was excited about the patrol?"

Sagefoot nodded. "Mhm. She practically _begged_ Sharpclaw to pick her!"

 _That can't be right. Honeyflower said that Sharpclaw had to drag her out of her nest!_ Something wasn't adding up here. Either Sagefoot was mistaken, or… or Honeyflower was _lying_.

Before Plumwillow had time to interrogate Sagefoot any further, Sharpclaw's screech echoed throughout the gorge:

" _CREEKFEAAAAATHER!_ "

"Oh StarClan," Plumwillow breathed, exasperated. "Now what has he done?!"

"Huh," Sagefoot tilted his head to the side. "Who knows?"

* * *

"You did _what_?" Rabbitleap cried, exasperated. " _Creekfeather_!"

"I was trying to be helpful!" the gray tom snapped. "Besides, this was _your_ idea!"

" _My idea_?!"

"Well," he reasoned, "yours and Plumwillow."

Rabbitleap shook his head, dumbfounded. "Creekfeather, when did Plumwillow and I ever tell you to start _sabotaging our Clanmates_?"

"Sabotage is a bit of a strong word, don't you think?"

"Not strong enough," Sharpclaw growled as he joined the brothers. "You fed Tangle a rotten sparrow; brought daisies to Petalnose even though she's _allergic_ to them; pushed Tinycloud into the creek because she said she was hot; threw Shrewtooth into a state of shock after you snuck up on him; and you brought the queens poison ivy and told them it was fresh moss!"

Sandytail, who was carrying a mouthful of "moss" to his nest, froze mid-step. "What?"

"We had Sagefoot look it over, and he said it looked fine!" Creekfeather protested.

"What about poison ivy?" Sandytail asked again.

Sharpclaw snorted. "Of course he thought it looked fine - Sagefoot thinks _everything_ is fine!"

"Why didn't you ask _the queens_ if the poison ivy looked like moss?" Rabbitleap demanded.

"Why didn't the queens _ask me_ why the moss looked like poison ivy?" Creekfeather retorted.

Sandytail raised his voice. "Uh, guys, I think I might have poison ivy in my mouth."

"Not now, Sandytail!" Sharpclaw snapped, turning around the glare at the young warrior. "Can't you see that we're- _Great StarClan Sandytail_ , spit that out immediately!" Dilemma momentarily forgotten, the deputy started shoving the tom towards Echosong's den. "I don't know what's wrong with all you bird-brained young warriors, but I've had just about enough of your antics!"

Rabbitleap watched the duo disappear into the Medicines' Cat Den, and then he turned around to fix Creekfeather with a stare. " _Anndd_ now you've probably killed Sandytail. Happy now?"

The glare that Creekfeather shot him looked strange on his usally upbeat expression. "I just wanted to make up for all the trouble I've caused lately, and you said to do some good deeds. I thought I was helping!"

"I don't have time to follow you around all day and keep you out of trouble!" Rabbitleap snapped. "I have an apprentice to train now, and I have my paws full dealing with Mintfur. Why is it so hard for you to just keep your muzzle out of trouble?"

His brother huffed and glared off into the distance, stubbornly refusing to meet his gaze. "What else do you want me to say, Rabbitleap? I'm sorry that your life is _so hard_ , and I'm sorry that I'm not as perfect as _you are_." Mimicking my tone, he added, " _Happy now_?"

"Quit that," Rabbitleap warned him. "I'm not asking you to be perfect, I'm asking you to just… lay low for a couple of days. Lounge around camp, avoid any social interaction."

"You want me to do everything that we scold Nettlesplash for," Creekfeather summarized.

Rabbitleap shrugged. "Basically, yes."

Against his will, a grin started to spread across Creekfeather's lips, and Rabbitleap knew that they were going to be okay. Creekfeather was never one to hold grudges for very long, anyway. He also wasn't one to "lay low", so it was likely that they would have this same conversation tomorrow afternoon. _StarClan, please assign one of your warriors to keep him out of trouble!_

" _Wow,_ " Creekfeather suddenly exclaimed. "What happened to _you_?"

Rabbitleap turned around and yowled in surprise when he saw Plumwillow and Nettlesplash - more specifically, Nettlesplash. His shoulder had a nasty scratch and clumps of dirt clung to his pelt. _While you're at it StarClan, assign one of your warriors to Nettlesplash too!_

"He fell out of a tree," Plumwillow quipped.

"I did not _fall out of a tree,_ " Nettlesplash growled, indigent.

"Oh, good," Creekfeather meowed. "Because that would just be embarrassing."

The pale brown warrior sat down and smoothed his tongue over the scratch. He winced at the pain, then said, "Birdflight wanted to jump on a hawk's back and try to fly. I figured, SkyClan already has enough bird-brains running around, who would really notice if one went missing? So when her back was turned, I tried to push her out of the tree."

Plumwillow helpfully added, "But he misjudged his steps and fell instead."

"Oh," Creekfeather meowed. "So you _did_ fall out of a tree. That's embarrassing."

"Shut-up, Creekfeather."

"Hold on," Rabbitleap spoke up, frowning. "Are we all just going to pretend that Nettlesplash didn't try to murder a Clanmate?"

"Eh," his sister said with a shrug. "It probably wasn't the first time."

"I heard Creekfeather almost killed half the Clan today," Nettlesplash added, pointedly.

Creekfeather flattened his eats. "Who told you?!" he demanded.

Plumwillow laughed as her brothers went back-and-forth. "You're all such a mess." She flicked Nettlesplash with her tail. "I'm going to get some damp moss for your shoulder. I'll be right back."

"Be sure it's actually moss and not poison ivy!" Rabbitleap called after her.

"Wait, what about poison ivy?"

" _Shut-up, Rabbitleap_!"

* * *

On her way to the Medicine Cats' Den, Plumwillow realized that if Creekfeather nearly murdered half the Clan, then Echosong and Frecklewish were probably up to their shoulders in work. Her suspicion was confirmed when she walked past Sharpclaw and Sandytail, the latter who was worried about… _his tongue falling out?_

Plumwillow shook her head, kept walking, and didn't ask questions.

The she-cat padded outside of camp where the sandstone gorge transitioned into a lush green forest. The moss grew better out in the forest and it wasn't long until she found a clump growing on the side of a tree. She started pulling it off of the trunk and didn't stop until she'd gathered enough to build an entire nest; after she gave Nettlesplash some for his shoulder, she would freshen Honeyflower's nest; maybe that would make her feel more like herself.

 _Because she's sick,_ Plumwillow reasoned with herself. _Sagefoot was just mistaken. Honeyflower is probably curled up in her nest right now, clammy and uncomfortable and-_

" _Quit that_!" a feminine voice cried, though it was obvious that she wasn't in danger. The she-cat sounded rather joyed, as a matter of fact. And if Plumwillow was feeling a little paranoid, she even sounded like… _Honeyflower?_

" _Are you gonna make me_?" another voice challenged, this one clearly a tom. He sounded familiar as well.

" _If I do, you'll regret ever teasing me_!"

" _Surrreee_!"

Plumwillow frowned, puzzled. _What in StarClan's name is going on?_ Moss momentarily forgotten, she started towards the voices, careful not to get downwind. As the voices got louder, the uncomfortable feeling in her chest tightened. _There's no way… she would never…_

" _What are you going to do if I splash you again_?"

" _Don't you dare_!"

They were right there. Quickly to avoid being seen, Plumwillow ducked behind a thistle bush and fought to see from her position. From where she laid, the two cats looked like Honeyflower and Rockshade, and they _sounded_ like Honeyflower and Rockshade, but there was just no way that was right. Because those two cats were clearly flirting, and they were clearly outside the camp to avoid being found, and everything about the scene made Plumwillow want to retch.

The stone-gray tom purred, and he suddenly quit threatening his friend(?). Instead, he slid up to her and began to rub his muzzle against her shoulder. "Alright, I'm sorry I'm such a fox-heart," he meowed.

The pale gray she-cat smiled, fond and adoring. "Well then I guess I can forgive you, but _only_ because you're _so handsome._ "

"Lucky me," the tom purred. He licked her cheek.

She buried her muzzle in his chest. "No, _lucky me_ ," she corrected him.

Dread was curled so tightly within Plumwillow's chest that she gagged on it. She crawled out of the thistle bush, suddenly feeling ridiculous for spying on her Clanmates; then she felt so furious that she was ready to fight.

"How dare she!" She hissed to herself. "She knew how I felt about him, and she- _she_ -"

" _Plumwillow_?" Her head shot up, eyes wide. Right there, staring back with her own wide eyes, was Honeyflower. Their gazes met and the world around them seemed to slow down; Plumwillow dug her claws into the dirt as the Earth threatened to tip on its' axis.

All of a sudden, sadness washed over her like sleeting rain. " _Honeyflower,_ " she whispered, all of her hurt bleeding into that single word.

Honeyflower's features softened. "Oh, Plumwillow, I'm so sorry! I never meant for you to find out like this-"

She couldn't just stand there and listen to her pitiful apology; not while her entire world crumbled around her. So instead she spun around and raced back to camp, kicking up dirt and leaves in her wake, leaving Honeyflower in the dust.

* * *

 **Question of the Day**

 **What should I do with Creekfeather moving forward?**

 **#(Read the AN for details)**

* * *

 **Oh, look, an update!**

 **Sorry if this felt like a filler-chapter but it got the ball rolling for a lot of plotlines; Rabbitleap and Mintfur are clearly going to but heads; Honeyflower and Rockshade are apparently mates; and Creekfeather is about to destroy what little patience Sharpclaw has left.**

 **On that note, I'm undecided what to do with Creekfeather at this point. I thought I knew, but recently I just don't love the idea anymore, and I'm a lost with him. So, what do you guys think I should do with him? What should be his main plot point? Let me know in the reviews because I definitely need the feedback!**

 **Reviews are sweeter than a Disney movie ending!**


	7. They Never Warn You About Your Friends

**Disclaimer: I, KatieK101, do not own Warriors. If I did then SkyClan would've had their own freakin' arc, like, two years ago. Furthermore, this fic should not be considered canon past the events of 'SkyClan and the Stranger'.**

 **Special thanks to** **InkblotLeaf** **for creating this beautiful cover art! You're a gem!**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven - They Don't Warn You About Your Friends**

* * *

Plumwillow's heart hammered in her chest in rhythm as her paws pounded against the sandstone paths. She raced to put as much distance between her and Honeyflower as possible. _She lied to me_ , she thought, again and again. _How long have she and Rockshade had feelings for each other?_

A few days, or a few moons?

It didn't matter. Honeyflower - her very best friend - was in love with the tom that she was in love with, who she'd been in love with ever since she was an apprentice, and she never even knew. _I told her everything,_ Plumwillow thought, as the wind stung her eyes. _She knew how I felt about him, and she lied to me. She lied she lied she lied-_

Plumwillow knew she looked like a fox in a fit when she burst into camp, panting for breath as a sob clawed her my throat, but she didn't care. _I just want to lay in my nest, wake up and realize that this was all just a nightmare._ She wanted to believe that Honeyflower was honest, that Rockshade loved her, and her seemingly perfect life wasn't shattering right in front of her eyes.

" _Finally,_ " Nettlesplash meowed when he noticed his sister. "Where's my moss?"

Rabbitleap immediately noticed that something was wrong. He stared at Plumwillow with concern brimming in his amber eyes, and Creekfeather jumped to his paws and pressed his pelt against hers in a display of comfort, but she shook them off - _I just want to curl up in my nest._

"Hey!" Nettlesplash called when she shoved past him, running towards the Warriors' Den. She didn't call out an apology, and she didn't slow down until she reached the den. Thankfully it was empty, and Plumwillow immediately curled up in her nest. Only then did she allow tears to roll freely down her face, and once they started she couldn't make them stop. She cried until she sobbed, and she sobbed until she couldn't breathe.

 _Why why why why didn't she tell me?!_

"Plumwillow!" a new voice exclaimed, and the she-cat could have groaned with dread; she didn't want any of her Clanmates to see her like _this._ "I've been searching all over for you! Have you heard what your bird-brained brother did to me?!"

As soon as she lifted her head, Tinycloud trailed off. The small white she-cat was drenched from head-to-tail, and Plumwillow vaguely recalled that Creekfeather had shoved her into the river after she complained about the heat. Typically Plumwillow would have endured Tinycloud's rant and nodded along sympathetically, but now it took everything in her to control her shaky breath and whisper, "I'm not in the mood, Tinycloud."

Tinycloud rushed to her side. "What happened?" she demanded. "Did Creekfeather get you too? _Frecklewish_ ," she suddenly called, " _he got Plumwillow too! Hurry!_ "

"No no no-" Plumwillow begged and hid her face in her paws, "don't call anyone else!"

Frecklewish strolled into the den with a mouthful of herbs. "I wasn't sure what to bring so I came prepared." She admitted as she put down her load, " Creekfeather has really been testing mine and Echosong's skill today!" She sounded exhausted, and typically Plumwillow would have offered to help her tend to the patients, but now she just wanted to be alone.

"Please just leave," she whispered, refusing to look at either of her friends. "Creekfeather didn't hurt me, it was-" she nearly choked on her name: _Honeyflower._

Tinycloud nuzzled the top of her head. "Then who _did_ hurt you?" she asked. "You never cry, Plumwillow! What happened?"

"You can tell us anything," Frecklewish added. "You know that."

Plumwillow knew she could trust them, but she didn't trust herself to get the words out without having a breakdown. But when she raised her gaze to meet her friends, their eyes so soft with concern, Plumwillow melted. "It's Honeyflower," she whimpered.

Frecklewish's ears flicked forward. "Something happened to Honeyflower? Is she alright?"

Plumwillow shook her head. "She- _she-_ " her voice trembled violently, and she inhaled a breath to soothe her frazzled nerves. "Outside camp, I went looking for moss and I heard her voice, so I followed it, and- and I watched her and Rockshade-" _deep breath in, deep breath out,_ "cuddle and flirt and-" finally her voice gave way and a sob escaped her maw. "And they're together, and Honeyflower knows better than anyone how much I love him, and _they're together_ and _she lied to me_!"

Plumwillow expected gasps of shock and cries of outrage; _how dare she! How could she?! She knew how much he meant to you!_

Instead, Plumwillow was greeted with silence.

The gray she-cat raised her gaze again, but now her friends' eyes weren't soft with concern; they were dark with something else entirely: _guilt._

"You knew," Plumwillow breathed. As soon as the accusation left her lips she knew that she was right.

Tinycloud and Frecklewish exchanged pained glances, and then Tinycloud softly meowed, "Plumwillow, we didn't want you to get hurt-"

"How long?" She interrupted Tinycloud, voice hollow.

Frecklewish shuffled her paws awkwardly. "About a moon," she admitted.

It felt like someone kicked her in the gut and knocked the air out of her lungs. "You've known about this for a moon, and no one bothered to tell me?!" She demanded. "What kind of friends are you?!"

Tinycloud shook her head. "Honeyflower begged us not to tell you; she wanted to tell you herself, she just didn't know how."

"All those times we sat around and gossiped about toms," Plumwillow started, her voice steadily picking up volume. "All those times you told Honeyflower she should chase Bouncefire so that we could all be kin; all those times you told me that we would have the most adorable kits; all those times _you lied to my face_ ," she hissed.

"It wasn't our place to tell you!" Tinycloud protested.

"You're my friends! Of course it was your place!"

"We're Honeyflower's friends too, though," Frecklewish meowed softly. She tried to lick her shoulder, but Plumwillow shook her off.

"No," she growled. "You're only Honeyflower's friends. Clearly, my friendship meant nothing to any of you."

Tinycloud and Frecklewish tried to argue but Plumwillow paid them no attention. She'd already heard enough, and righteous indignation gave her the strength to pull herself together and storm out of the den, into the twilight air.

She stole a glance to the left, then the right, and then charged down the sandstone path. She needed time to be alone and process her thoughts. _Our mentors always told us to never trust an enemy,_ she thought as she ran. _They never warned us about our friends._

* * *

Creekfeather wasn't the most responsible warrior, or the most dependable, or the most disciplined, but sometimes he knew his littermates better than they knew themselves.

When the sun fell and rose again, and there still wasn't sign of Plumwillow, Creekfeather wasn't worried about her; she was capable and emotional and she would return to camp once she pulled herself together.

When Plumwillow did finally return, she was dragging her paws and glaring bitterly at the sandstone with bloodshot eyes. Creekfeather sat at the camp entrance and patiently waited for her.

She noticed him and asked, "how long have you sat here?"

He replied, "don't worry about it. You okay?"

Plumwillow shrugged. "Not really. I thought I would finally face everyone and maybe join a patrol; try to make it up to the Clan for running away and worrying them."

"Forget about them," Creekfeather dismissed, and _that_ caught her attention. "Let's go find a sunny spot and gossip about everyone."

A shaky smile tugged at her lips. "Yes, _please_."

* * *

Creekfeather knew a spot where they wouldn't be interrupted and - _how thoughtful of him_ \- he already had a squirrel waiting for her. Squirrels were her favorite.

"Did you know Shrewtooth has like, the biggest crush on Ebonyclaw?" Plumwillow asked as she pulled the squirrel towards her.

Creekfeather froze just as he found a sunny spot to lay across. "... _really_? That's sad."

"No it isn't! It's sweet."

He shook his head. "You don't actually think Shrewtooth has a chance with her, right? Ebonyclaw is too perfect for any tom - well, except for me, but I'm not really a fan of green eyes."

Plumwillow narrowed her green eyes. "Gee, _thanks_." She took a bite of her squirrel. "You really don't think they would work out?"

"I mean, Shrewtooth can dream all he wants, but… yeah, he has about a much of shot with Ebonyclaw as Mintfur has with Rabbitleap."

" _Oh_ , I meant to ask you about that-!"

Creekfeather looked at his sister in disbelief. "Now you're just talking out of your head. There's _no way_ -"

"Just hear me out! What if the reason they constantly argue is because of pent-up sexual tension?"

Creekfeather burst into laughter. "Number one, _eww_. Number two, you're delusional. Mintfur isn't a normal cat. She's half-cat, half-rabid fox. I don't think she's even capable of falling in love. And Rabbitleap is just…" he shook his head, " _Rabbitleap._ "

Plumwillow shrugged. "You have a point there. For the record though, I think Rabbitleap will make some she-cat very happy one day."

The gray tabby snorted. "Sure, once he pulls that icicle out of his-"

" _Creekfeather_!"

* * *

"Sparrowpelt is pretty upset about his situation," Plumwillow remarked.

"I bet. It would be such a bummer to get an apprentice, train her for a couple of days, and then be confined to the Medicine Cats' Den for- how long?"

"I think Frecklewish told me it was a moon."

"Did she say what happened to him?"

Plumwillow frowned. "Yeah, but it's weird. She said that a beehive fell from the sky and landed on him?"

Creekfeather coughed, and when Plumwillow looked at him curiously he mumbled, " _Hairball._ Um, you don't believe her, right? That's crazy. Beehives don't just fall from the sky!"

"But he was stung _all over his body_."

"Details details," he waved his tail dismissively.

* * *

"So, I heard you nearly killed half the Clan."

Creekfeather huffed. "Something like that."

"What are you going to do to get back into everyone's' good graces?"

"I'm still working on that." He rolled onto his back and tipped his head back at her. "Any bright ideas?"

Plumwillow whiskers twitched thoughtfully. "Nothing specific, no, but I think all it'll take is for you to prove that you're responsible."

" _Sooo_ I need to mentor my own apprentice?"

"Great StarClan no, Rabbitleap would die."

* * *

She couldn't avoid the topic forever. "So I guess everyone already knows what happened?"

Creekfeather nodded. "You know how the Clan is; gossip spreads like wildfire."

"Can't say I'm surprised."

"Just disappointed?"

"Yeah." She stared at the remains of her squirrel. "I mean, _I_ didn't want to tell everyone what happened, but I didn't want anyone else to, either. I guess I just wanted to pretend it never happened." Her gaze drifted aimlessly. "Did… Honeyflower say anything about it?"

The tom stretched out and exposed his belly to the sunshine. "She was worried about you when you didn't come back last night, but she didn't try to bad-mouth you or anything like that."

Plumwillow snorted bitterly. "How nice of her."

"Yeah, Honeyflower sucks. She's the worst. _Booooo Honeyfloweeerrrrrrr._ "

A small smirk worked its way across her lips. "You're such a bird-brain."

"But you're smiling, aren't you?" Creekfeather pointed out. Her smirk fell away.

"I just don't know why… like, how long did she have feelings for Rockshade? How long did she listen to me declare my love for him and hate me for it? Why did she think she couldn't tell me about her feelings?"

"If Honeyflower fawned over Rockshade for moons and you secretly had feelings for him, would _you_ want to tell her?"

"Funny, you don't _look_ like Rabbitleap."

"Hey!" Creekfeather huffed and cuffed his sister over the ear. "Be nice! I'm trying to be helpful!"

Plumwillow rubbed her sore ear and mumbled, "I just didn't know you had it in you to be the voice of reason. Rabbitleap is going to be so proud."

"Ah," the tom nodded. "You're avoiding the question because you know I'm right. I understand now."

Plumwillow blew out a heavy sigh. "Yes- I mean, _no_ , if I were in her position I wouldn't want to be honest either. But I still would have been. Honeyflower is like the sister I never had; we've never kept secrets from each other. It just…" she trailed off softly, "hurts."

Her gaze wandered again, unable to look at her brother and see the sympathathy shining in his blue eyes. She didn't want sympathy, she everything to go back to normal. Why did Honeyflower have to go and mess everything up? Weren't things just perfect the way that they were?

"It probably doesn't help that Tinycloud and Frecklewish, _y' know_."

"Don't even get me _started_ on those two."

"I can't believe neither of them ever told you about it!" Creekfeather huffed. "I certainly don't feel sorry for shoving Tinycloud into the river anymore, or filling the Medicine Cats' Den with patients."

The she-cat laid her head on her paws and expelled another sigh. "I don't know what I'm going to do, Creekfeather. I lost all of my best friends and my life goal turned into dust."

"Not _all_ of your best friends," Creekfeather protested, offended.

Plumwillow shook her head. "That's not what I mean. Kin is different; we have to love each other, we don't have a choice-"

"I definitely _don't_ love Nettlesplash most days."

"But friends aren't obliged to like you," she continued. "You can't choose your littermates, but you can choose your friends. And obviously I love you guys, but I don't want to be…" she trailed off as she searched for the right word. "I don't want to be Rabbitleap. He has, what, one, maybe two cats that he's close to, excluding us? I don't want to spend all of my time with my kin, I want _friends._ "

Creekfeather begrudgingly understood where his sister was coming from. He and Swiftleap had been attached at the hip ever since Creekfeather was an apprentice; they did everything together! Still, he couldn't help but feel _slightly_ offended that Plumwillow didn't think he was enough. "I guess you have a point."

"So what am I going to do about it?" Plumwillow asked him, and finally looked up to meet his gaze.

"Find a new best friend?" Creekfeather suggested. "What about Petalnose?"

"Petalnose is old enough to be my mother; I want to connect with someone around my age."

"Sandytail?"

She wrinkled her face. "Pass. I'm not sure what it is, but something about him just _annoys_ me."

"Yeah, same. Cherrytail?"

"She has Sharpclaw and Echosong."

"Bouncefire?"

"You mean Rockshade _and_ Tinycloud's brother?"

"Ooh, good point." He gazed into the forest thoughtfully for a few heartbeats, and then his face lit up. "Oh! What about Sagefoot?"

Plumwillow narrowed her eyes. "Are you serious?"

"As a hawk attack," he cheerfully replied. "What's not to like about Sagefoot? He's laid-back-"

" _Wayy_ too laid-back-"

"Smart-"

"That's debatable."

"And super friendly, just like you!"

Plumwillow opened her mouth to protest, then hesitated. _Shoot, he got me there._ For all of his faults, Sagefoot was one of the most friendly cats you could hope to meet. Still, he was not a candidate for "Plumwillow's New Best Friend".

Creekfeather must have realized as much because he took one look at his sister, and then huffed dramatically. "Not trying to be rude, but I don't think you have room to be so picky."

"You don't have _any other suggestions_?" Plumwillow pressed. "Not even one?"

Creekfeather wrinkled his nose, like he always did when he was deep in thought. After a prolonged, suspenseful silence, he weakly suggested, "Mintfur?"

"... I think I'll go see what Sandytail is up to."

* * *

In green-leaf, the forest was beautiful. The trees grew luscious green leaves and decorated the ground with warm, sunny dapples. Prey was bountiful, skys were a cheerful blue, and there wasn't a storm cloud in sight.

Nettlesplash hated green-leaf.

He mumbled as much after he stepped on a thorn, and based on Birdflight's reaction, one would think that Nettlesplash had admitted to spitting on kits. She spun around, stared at him in wide-eyed disbelief, and demanded, "You _what?_ "

He didn't understand why she looked personally offended. "I hate green-leaf. It's the worst."

"How can you hate green-leaf?!" she cried. Nettlesplash rolled his eyes.

"It's actually really simple. I think about all the things I don't like about it, and then I realize, 'hey, I hate green-leaf'." He eyed Birdflight for a moment and then continued, "Judging by your reaction I assume you love green-leaf? There's another reason I can add to my list."

He resumed walking, pushed past Birdflight, and rolled his eyes at her utter disbelief. "Great StarClan, you're looking at me like I clawed you! Green-leaf is overrated, get over it."

"You must not have a soul."

"Eh. Souls are overrated too."

* * *

It wasn't until the sun reached its' highest point in the sky that Nettlesplash realized he had no idea where they were going. He asked, and Birdflight replied, "what's your favorite season?"

Nettlesplash furrowed his brow. "That isn't even _close_ to what I asked you."

"You never answer my questions, so why should I answer yours?" Birdflight retorted.

He scowled. Birdflight was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the most frustrating cat Nettlesplash had the displeasure of knowing. She was reckless, overconfident, sassy, and sometimes she tried to pretend that she cared about him and he hated it, because nobody cared about him, much less the she-cat he insulted on a daily basis.

Birdflight glaced backward at him. "So. Are you going to answer my question?"

He glared at her in response.

She shrugged and said, " _you_ are the most predictable cat alive."

* * *

As the sun reached its' highest point in the sky, Creekfeather and Plumwillow went their separate ways. He to find Swiftleap, and she to find Sandytail.

 _Good luck to her,_ Creekfeather thought, as he strolled into camp. She was right; there was just _something_ about the tom that made one want to snap, "shut-up, Sandytail!"

Oh well. If there was something so wrong with making your littermates your best friends, then she could suffer a little bit of annoyance.

He found Swiftleap by the fresh-kill pile, a robin in between his paws. Creekfeather thought he looked sickly, which might explain why he was only staring at his meal.

"Hey," he chirped, catching the other tom's attention. "So, I just talked to Plumwillow and I think I know how… we can…" he trailed off.

Swiftleap shifted his stare from the robin to his friend, and Creekfeather's chest tightened unexpectedly.

* * *

As he stared over the edge of a rushing waterfall, felt the power of it thum beneath his paws, heard it thunder, Nettlesplash already knew this was Birdflight's worst idea yet.

 _Unless…_ "So you're going to throw yourself off of it, right?"

Birdflight shot him a look. "That's pretty dark. What would you do if I actually tried to?"

"Return to camp with my newfound sense of blissful freedom. Sleep past dawn. Quit looking over my shoulder expecting to see an angry hawk mother."

"Ah. You would return to your old, boring life."

For some reason it irked him whenever she called him boring, even though his littermates did it all the time and he had never even blinked. "It's not boring, it's _peaceful._ "

The black she-cat looked away from him and to the thundering waters. "Whatever you say." She didn't sound convinced, and he contemplated pushing her over. "Bouncefire told me he thought the river must lead to a waterfall, and I wanted to see if he was right." Evidently, he was. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Nettlesplash looked into the rushing waters. "No, it's dangerous."

"But don't you think there's a certain beauty to be found in danger?"

Nettlesplash shot her a pointed look, and she rolled her eyes in response. "Of course you don't. You don't even like green-leaf." _I know, I'm so awful, aren't I?_ She was such a kit.

"Can we go back to camp now?" She found the waterfall, she should be satisfied.

Of course, nothing was ever so simple when it came to the she-cat.

Birdflight meowed, "later. I want to see if I can find a secret cave or something!" And with that, she walked past him in search of secret caves. He grit his teeth and followed her.

* * *

"Hold on, _Sharpclaw_ is making you do this?"

Swiftleap shook his head. "No! He just- he pulled me aside and talked to me about the trouble I've been getting into lately, and…" he shook his head again. "You didn't see how disappointed he was, Creekfeather. I was his apprentice, he _knows_ he trained me better than this."

"Better than what?" Creekfeather echoed bitterly. "Better than having fun? Better than being friends with me?"

Swiftleap looked frustrated, like he was blatantly refusing to understand his point. The truth was that Creekfeather was still struggling to comprehend the very first sentence.

" _I don't know if we can be friends anymore."_

* * *

There were so, so many other things Nettlesplash would rather do than waste his time searching for secret-caves-that-didn't-exist.

"Do you think that's a cave?" Birdflight asked him, nodding to a dark gap.

Nettlesplash squinted. "No, that's where the water has carved out a small space."

"Do you think I-"

"No, you could _not_ fit in it."

Birdflight pouted. "Fox-dung," she mumbled.

The black she-cat padded up and down the length of the thunderous water, always pausing when she reached the edge of the falls. Nettlesplash didn't realize he was holding his breath until the third pause.

He scowled. "Don't get so close to the edge. The ground is slippery."

She glanced back at him and smirked. "Scared I'll get swept away and your life will be boring without me?"

There that word was again: _boring_.

"Quit calling me boring," Nettlesplash snapped. "Just because I value my life doesn't mean I'm boring."

"I value life too. That's why I choose to live mine to the fullest."

"That's why you'll die doing something bird-brained."

"At least I won't die of old age, curled up in an old, dusty nest," Birdflight retorted.

"No," Nettlesplash agreed. "You'll die with your intestines spread from here to camp because you decided you wanted to _ride a fox_!"

He didn't notice how she flinched ever so slightly at that, but he did notice the strange new look that entered her blue eyes; they warned of danger, just like the waterfall she stood beside. Her shoulder flexed; the one with the scar.

"I was seven moons old then," Birdflight meowed, each word punctuated with a warning. "Barely even out of the Nursery."

"No one else tried to ride a fox when they were seven moons old," came his retort. He narrowed his amber eyes. "Don't act like you regret that when you haven't quit endangering yourself since then. You haven't tried to learn from your mistakes, you're tried to recreate them!"

"How do you know what I do and don't regret?" Birdflight demanded. "We've been attached at the hip for days, and you've _never_ tried to get to know me!"

Nettlesplash scoffed. "Of course I haven't. You drive me insane! You force me to risk _my own life_ every day in the name of _adventure_ , and never once have you considered that maybe _I just want peace_!"

"You don't want peace, you just want to sleep all day!"

"Yes, and that's _peaceful_ for me!"

"Has it occured to you that maybe watching a sunrise is peaceful for me?" She demanded. "Maybe I think the sound of a waterfall is peaceful? Maybe the knowledge that I'm not sleeping my life away comforts me?"

"And riding a fox?" Nettlesplash asked, sarcastic. "Was being clawed by a fox and nearly leading it to camp _peaceful_ as well?"

Birdflight barred her teeth in a snarl. Whatever she was going to say next was going to sting.

Nettlesplash would never know how she planned to hurt him next. Even though he'd warned her, Birdflight wasn't careful where she put her paws, so when she stepped forward into a puddle of water she slipped. She barely had time to yowl as she stumbled back into the rushing waters.

Nettlesplash's eyes widened as she was pulled under the water. "Birdflight!" He screeched, heart suddenly pounding. He raced to the edge of the water and searched for her head, for her black pelt, but it was impossible to see her underneath the thunderous waters. " _Birdflight_!"

 _Can she swim? Is she strong enough to fight the current? Did she hit her head when she fell?_ "Birdflight!"

 _She's dead. I have to tell the Clan she's dead. I have to tell Clovertail and Patchfoot she died. I have to look at Honeyflower and Sandytail and tell them that she drowned. I have to-_

Suddenly Birdflight's head appeared above the waters! The black she-cat was gasping for breath as the merciless water shoved her to and fro, but she was swimming and she was _alive_!

" _Nettlesplash_!" She screeched. " _Help me_!"

His legs were stiff. "I-I can't-" _I can't swim! I'll drown!_

Maybe not. Rabbitleap saved two kits from drowning and had never tried to swim before; maybe Nettlesplash could too!

But memories in front of his eyes like a scene. He remembered being three moons old, full of spunk and life and joy. He remembered playing with his littermates right beside the river, fighting over which one of them could be Clan leader, and he remembered how Plumkit had shoved him because _he_ had been Clan leader last time.

He remembered stumbling, falling, flailing as he fell into the river. The rushing waters carried him downstream and he would have drowned if Waspwhisker hadn't of jumped in and saved his life.

He remembered not being able to breathe; he remembered _the fear_.

And now he stared at Birdflight in horror, watched her struggle to keep her head above water, absolutely _paralyzed_ with fear.

* * *

"I haven't seen Nettlesplash all day," Fallowtail remarked, as she shared tongues with her mate, Waspwhisker. The sun would be falling behind the mountains soon. "Do you think he's starting to come out of his shell?"

"If any cat can force him out of his shell, it's Birdflight," Waspwhisker chuckled.

Fallowtail purred. Her green eyes brightened when she saw another one of her kits coming towards them. "Creekfeather," she chirped happily. "Where are you going?"

"To convince Cherrytail that she deserves _so much better_ than Sharpclaw," he growled, as he stormed past his parents.

Fallowtail and Waspwhisker watched their son storm off, bewildered. Waspwhisker looked back at his mate and asked, "Do you think his head injury is flaring up again?"

* * *

" _Nettlesplash, help me_!" Birdflight cried. Her choppy strides were weakening at a rapid rate. It wouldn't be long until she was sucked underneath the waves again. " _Nettlesplash_!"

Nettlesplash shook his head. _Can't swim can't swim can't swim._ But there had to be _something_ he could do!

The tom looked around frantically for something that could help him. Pebbles? Twigs? A large stone? Long branch?

 _Wait, that's it!_ He grabbed the long branch in his jaws, then turned towards the drowning she-cat. "Stop fighting the current!" he yelled.

Her blue eyes were impossibly wide. "What?!" she screeched. "Are you insane?!"

"The water will carry you to that rock," Nettlesplash called back. "Then I can reach you with this branch! Just do it!"

For a heartbeat, he didn't think she would listen to him. Then Birdflight squeezed her eyes close and surrendered to the merciless river. She was thrashed around but eventually the current pushed her to a large stone jutting out of the river. From there, she was able to hook her claws into the long branch, so that Nettlesplash could pull her back to dry land.

Once all four paws were on dry land, Nettlesplash sank to the ground and tried to remember how to breathe. _In and out, in and out._ He clenched his eyes closed as memories continued to play out in front of him.

" _Help me, somebody! Help me!"_

He'd only been three moons old when he nearly drowned. Those memories had always felt like they were a lifetime old, and he didn't pay them much attention. He didn't shake and shiver whenever he passed the river in camp. He wasn't scared of water or drowning. He wasn't traumatized.

At least, that's what he used to think. Now? He wasn't quite so sure.

"Hey," came a soft whisper. "Thank you. I could have-"

"Don't speak to me ever again," Nettlesplash interrupted her, eyes still clenched. If he opened them then he was sure he would cry, and that would just be embarrassing. "Seriously. I'm going to go back to camp and tell Leafstar that I'm done shadowing you, and if you ever speak to me again, I'll shove you over the waterfall _myself_."

And with that, he stood to his paws and walked back to camp by himself.

* * *

Unfortunately, he ran into Rabbitleap before he ran into Leafstar.

" _I quit."_

" _What do you mean you quit?"_

Nettlesplash told him that he was done shadowing Birdflight. Rabbitleap, with all the arrogance in the world, told him that wasn't an option.

" _I don't have time to deal with you anymore, Nettlesplash!"_

" _This was your fault anyway!"_

They argued about it, like they had argued over a thousand other times over a thousand different topics.

But somehow this argument was different.

" _Why don't you try to just_ _do_ _something with your life?!"_

" _How can you stand there and act like you're so perfect, and the rest of us will never be able to compete with you?! You're just as much a failure as I am!"_

By the time the sun disappeared behind the mountains, something between the brothers had changed. Neither of them were sure that it could be fixed.

* * *

 **Question of the Day**

 **Do you like the third person perspective better, or first person?**

 **#I actually like third person better for this fic.**

* * *

 **So, I'm sure you've all noticed the change in perspective here.**

 **In short: balancing four different first-person perspectives was too demanding. I couldn't flow through chapters like I wanted to, and I didn't feel like I was paying each perspective enough attention. So I edited the last seven chapters and changed the first person to third person. I definitely missed a lot of corrections, so bear with me as I continue to fix little things. I just wanted a rough draft of the chapters up so I could go ahead and upload this chapter. I also added/deleted scenes from the previous chapters, so I really recommend you go through and reread them.**

 **I also changed 'Honeyfrost' to 'Honeyflower', simply because I liked it better. Sorry for the confusion there as well.**

 **Lastly, I'm using actual line breaks instead of the title. I like it better for weaving between perspectives (like the scenes with Creekfeather and Swiftleap, or the scene with Fallowfern and Waspwhisker, who I really need to pay more attention to). I'm not titeling each perspective either, so I'm sorry if that gets confusing, but I'll try to make it clear which perspective we're reading.**

 **Alright, I think that's it! I've finally sat down and started some serious outlining, and I know that the next couple chapters are going to be very important - lots of plot stuff is starting to happen! :)**

 **Review, or else Nettlesplash will throw Birdflight back into the river. #SaveBirdflight**


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